Chemical Profiling and Antioxidant and Anti-Amyloid Capacities of Salvia fruticosa Extracts from Greece

An increasingly common ailment in elderly persons is Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative illness. Present treatment is restricted to alleviating symptoms; hence, there is a requirement to develop an effective approach to AD treatment. Salvia fruticosa (SF) is a medicinal plant with a documented neuroprotective potential. To identify extracts of increased neuroprotectivity, we partitioned the methanolic extract of SF aerial parts from Greece into several fractions, by employing solvents of different polarities. The fractions were chemically identified and evaluated for their antioxidancy and anti-neurotoxic potential against amyloid beta peptides 25-35 (A beta(25-35)). Carnosol and carnosic acid were among the prominent compounds, while all partitions showed significant antioxidant capacity, with the diethyl ether and ethyl acetate partitions being the most potent. These, along with the aqueous and the butanolic fractions, demonstrated statistically significant anti-neurotoxic potential. Thus, our findings further validate the neuroprotective potential of SF and support its ethnopharmacological usage as an antioxidant. The particular properties found define SF as a promising source for obtaining extracts or bioactive compounds, possibly beneficial for generating AD-related functional foods or medications. Finally, our results encourage plant extract partitioning for acquiring fractions of enhanced biological properties.

Automated summary

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in elderly individuals, with current treatments focused on symptom relief. Salvia fruticosa (SF) has been identified as a medicinal plant with neuroprotective potential. Partitioning SF extracts into different solvent fractions revealed antioxidant and anti-neurotoxic properties, with carnosol and carnosic acid being prominent compounds. These findings support SF's potential as an antioxidant and suggest its use in AD-related functional foods or medications. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of plant extract partitioning for obtaining fractions with enhanced biological properties.