Abstract

The possible side effects of drugs used in type II diabetes are increasing the tendency to herbal resources that have been used for many years. Senecio vernalis Waldst. & Kit is one of the annual Senecio L. species widely distributed in Turkey and used as a food and folk medicine. In this study, optimization of extraction conditions on the bioactive properties (Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity) of the flowers of S. vernalis and the potential of the plant for α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase inhibitory activity were investigated. The optimum extraction conditions were determined at 69.72% water concentration, 59℃ for 26.15 min, and the highest experimental values of TPC and 2, 2‐diphenyl‐1‐picryl‐hydrazyl‐hydrate (DPPH) scavenging activity were observed as 28.14 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) g-1 and 3165.99 mg trolox equivalent (TE)/100 g sample, respectively. Significant inhibition was observed for α-amylase and α-glucosidase which are the key enzymes in type II diabetes, at a concentration of 100 mg mL-1, with 21.32% and 64.16% respectively. The S. vernalis extracts showed no detectable inhibition of lipase. The results showed that S. vernalis, which has high antioxidant capacity also has a significant anti-diabetic effect. It can be concluded that S. vernalis can be considered a natural resource in many industries such as food and pharmaceuticals.