Therapeutic Potential of Laurus nobilis Extract by Experimental and Computational Approaches: Phenolic Content and Bioactivities for Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, and Anticholinergic Properties

Sevgi Altın ¹ Mesut Işık ² Cemalettin Alp ³ Emrah Dikici ⁴ Ekrem Köksal ² Kevser Kübra Kırboğa ^2* Mithun Rudrapal ^5* Gourav Rakshit ⁶ Şükrü Beydemir ⁷ Johra Khan ^8*

• ¹ Erzincan Binali Yildirim University, Fatih Mahallesi, Erzincan, Türkiye
• ² Bilecik Sevh Edebali University, Bilecik/Turkiye, Türkiye
• ³ Erzincan Binali Yildirim University, Erzincan, Erzincan, Türkiye
• ⁴ Aksaray University, Aksaray, Aksaray, Türkiye
• ⁵ Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology and Research, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
• ⁶ Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
• ⁷ Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Eskişehir, Türkiye
• ⁸ Majmaah University, Al Majma'ah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the therapeutic potential of Laurus nobilis (LN) leaves, emphasizing their phenolic content and bioactivities, including antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticholinergic properties. Phenolic compounds in LN ethanol extracts were quantified via LC-MS/MS, while antioxidant activity was assessed using ferric thiocyanate, DPPH, ABTS assays, and metal reduction potentials. Anticholinergic and antidiabetic activities were evaluated through inhibition studies on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and α-glucosidase (α-GLY) enzymes, complemented by in silico analyses to explore binding mechanisms. Vanillic acid and catechin hydrate were the most abundant phenolics, and LN extract exhibited superior lipid peroxidation inhibition (50.53%) compared to Trolox (28.33%) and α-tocopherol (37.79%) after 24 hours. Moderate radical scavenging and metal reduction potentials were observed, with IC50 values of 2.57 µg/L for AChE, 3.78 µg/L for BChE, and 4.65 µg/L for α-GLY, indicating significant therapeutic potential. In silico findings revealed strong binding affinities of phenolics to the target enzymes, corroborating their bioactivity. This study underscores the promising antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticholinergic properties of Laurus nobilis extracts and their potential for therapeutic applications.