Phytochemical content and enzyme inhibitory effect of Heptaptera triquetra (Vent.) Tutin fruit against acetylcholinesterase and carbonic anhydrase I and II isoenzymes

Heptaptera triquetra (Vent.) Tutin (Apiaceae) is a potent plant with multiple effects. A recent study aimed to evaluate the bioactive profile of dichloromethane extract prepared from the H. triquetra fruit. For this purpose, isolation studies were performed, and the inhibitory activities of this extract against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and human carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme (hCA) I and II were examined. According to the isolation studies, four sesquiterpene coumarins [umbelliprenin (1) , colladin (3) , colladonin (4) , and samarcandin (5) ] and one sterol [ β -sitosterol (2) ] were isolated. All the isolated compounds demonstrated effective enzyme inhibitory activities against AChE, hCA I, and hCA II when compared with the standards. Colladin (3) demonstrated the best activity with the IC 50 values of 8.25 nM against AChE, 28.90 nM against hCA I, and 43.31 nM against hCA II. Samarcandin was first isolated from this plant. Standardized fruit extracts prepared from H. triquetra via its compounds could be potential phytotherapeutics for AD and glaucoma. Graphical abstract