Unraveling the Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Geum aleppicum Jacq.: Insights from Plants Collected in Kazakhstan
Kuntubek G.N. Kasela M. Kozhanova K.K. Kukula-Koch W. Świątek Ł. Salwa K. Okińczyc P. Józefczyk A. Widelski J. Kadyrbayeva G.M. Mukhamedsadykova A.Z. Sakipova Z.B. Malm A.
October 2025Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Molecules
2025#30Issue 19
Geum aleppicum Jacq. (yellow avens), a species traditionally used in folk medicine, remains understudied in the ethnopharmacological aspects. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated the phytochemical composition and biological activity of a hydroethanolic (50:50, v/v) extract from the aerial parts of G. aleppicum collected in Kazakhstan. Using the high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS), we identified 24 compounds, predominantly phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, and triterpenoids. The major compound was ellagic acid (2.28 mg/g dry extract) as revealed by the reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector (RP-HPLC-DAD). The extract exhibited a high polyphenol content (131.45 mg GAE/g) and strong antioxidant activity in Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay (3.82 ± 0.07 mmol Fe2+/g and 106.61 ± 0.89 mg GAE/g, respectively). Antimicrobial assay of the extract revealed notable antifungal activity against Candida spp., especially against C. glabrata and C. tropicalis with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of as low as 0.125 mg/mL, showing fungistatic effect. Although the extract inhibited the cytopathic effect induced by Human Herpesvirus 1 (HHV-1) in VERO cells, it did not significantly reduce viral replication. Moreover, among human cancer cell lines studied, the extract exerted moderate and selective cytotoxicity against A549 lung cancer cells (CC50 = 75.51 µg/mL, SI = 9). These findings highlight G. aleppicum as a rich source of bioactive compounds, especially phenolics, supporting its potential for development of pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.
anticancer activity , antifungal activity , bioactivity , chemical profile , Geum aleppicumJacq , yellow avens
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Department of Engineering Disciplines of Good Practices, School of Pharmacy, Kazakh National Medical University, 88 Tole Bi Street, Almaty, 050012, Kazakhstan
Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, Lublin, 20-093, Poland
Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plant Garden, Medical University in Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, Lublin, 20-093, Poland
Department of Virology with Viral Diagnostics Laboratory, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Street, Lublin, 20-093, Poland
Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicines, Wrocław Medical University, 211a Borowska Street, Wrocław, 50-556, Poland
Department of Engineering Disciplines of Good Practices
Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plant Garden
Department of Virology with Viral Diagnostics Laboratory
Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicines
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