Metabolic Fingerprinting of Different Sideritis Taxa Infusions and Their Neurogenic Activity

Over the last years, Sideritis extracts were shown to improve memory. However, their potential to promote the generation of new neurons, starting with the neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells, remains unexplored. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the neurogenic effects of different Sideritis infusions in neural stem and precursor cells and their impact on cell viability. Moreover, the metabolic fingerprints were recorded using LC-DAD, LC-HRESIMS, and GC-MS. The neurogenic potential of infusions of the eight Sideritis taxa testedwas as potent as the classical neuronal inducer combination of retinoic acid and valproic acid. Further cytotoxicity assays revealed that the IC50 values of the extracts were between 163 and 322 mu g/mL. Hierarchical cluster analyses of the metabolic fingerprints unveiled that the two Sideritis taxa with the lowest IC50 values were the most divergent in the analytical techniques used. As the analysis focused on polyphenols, it is reasonable to assume that these compounds are responsible for the effect on the cell viability of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. This study is the first report on the neurogenic potential of Sideritis taxa and might support the use of Sideritis herbal preparations in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.

Automated summary

In recent years, research has shown that Sideritis extracts can improve memory. However, their potential to promote the generation of new neurons through neural stem cell differentiation has not been explored. This study evaluates the neurogenic effects of different Sideritis infusions on neural stem and precursor cells, as well as their impact on cell viability. Metabolic fingerprints were also recorded using various analytical techniques. The results suggest that Sideritis infusions have potent neurogenic potential and may be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.