Hypericum empetrifolium subsp.empetrifolium: An assessment of its Antifungal, Antidiabetic, Anti-Aging, and Neuroprotective Potential

Serpil Kayiran¹Omerul Faruk Tavli²Emel Mataracı Kara³Alevcan Kaplan⁴Hasan Şahin⁵Mehmet Boga⁵Esra Eroglu Ozkan^3*

• ¹Çukurova University, Adana, Adana, Türkiye
• ²Biruni University, Istanbul, Istanbul, Türkiye
• ³Istanbul University, Istanbul, Türkiye
• ⁴Batman University, Batman, Batman, Türkiye
• ⁵Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Diyarbakır, Türkiye

Hypericum empetrifolium subsp. empetrifolium Willd. (Hypericaceae), collected from distinct regions in T ürkiye, were evaluated for its diverse biological potential, including antimicrobial and enzyme inhibition properties. The study was motivated by the growing need for novel antifungal agents, as fungal infections pose significant global health and economic challenges. In vitro assays revealed that the methanolic extracts exhibited considerable antifungal effects against Candida strains, with MIC values as low as 4.88 µg/mL. Moreover, the extracts demonstrated notable enzyme inhibition: HE-1 showed IC 50 values of 8.16 µg/mL for acetylcholinesterase and 2.46 µg/mL for butyrylcholinesterase, comparable to standard inhibitors. The extracts also strongly inhibited α-glucosidase (IC 50 ≈ 26-31 µg/mL), outperforming acarbose, and exhibited moderate elastase inhibition. Phytochemical profiling revealed significant differences in key metabolites-particularly flavonoids and phenolic acids-likely influenced by geographical and environmental factors. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of H. empetrifolium subsp. empetrifolium extracts as candidates for the development of novel antifungal, antidiabetic, anti-aging, and neuroprotective agents.