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Phenolic chemotypic diversity in Tunisian Hertia cheirifolia populations: influence of plant organs and phenological stages on antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities
Rahali N, Soltani I, Messaoud C.. Research Square, 2026-07-07
Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet
Background Hertia cheirifolia (L.) Kuntze (Asteraceae), an endemic subshrub of Tunisia and Algeria, is a staple of North African traditional medicine for treating gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension, inflammation, and nervous system complaints. Although its ethnobotanical profile is well documented, a comprehensive quantitative characterisation of its phenolic extracts and the relationship between chemical composition and biological activity has not previously been attempted.è Results Phenolic accumulation ranked consistently as leaves > flower buds > flowers > fruits (TPC up to 94.86 mg GAE/g, TFC up to 21.76 mg ER/g, TFlC up to 12.09 mg EQ/g in leaves). Seasonal monitoring revealed a bimodal polyphenol pattern, peaking in October (146.53 mg GAE/g) and December (123.47 mg GAE/g), while flavonoid content peaked at full flowering (December: 35.20 mg ER/g). Among the nine wild populations, a 3.2-fold range in flavonol content was observed; Khalsa and Siliana populations displayed exceptionally elevated flavonols (25.35–26.89 mg EQ/g) unrelated to geographic proximity. Anti-AChE activity (0.66–10.68 mg Eq donepezil/g) correlated strongly with flavonoid and flavonol content (r = 0.685 and 0.765, respectively; p < 0.05), and FRAP values correlated with flavonols (r = 0.619, p < 0.05). In silico ADMET profiling revealed quercetin as a likely direct AChE inhibitor with acceptable drug-likeness (bioavailability score 0.55), while rutin may serve as a natural pro-drug. Conclusions H. cheirifolia phenolic extracts exhibit potent, mechanism-specific antioxidant activity and promising AChE inhibition, validating traditional use in neurological complaints. Optimal harvest–leaves collected in October-November from Siliana or Kessra populations–maximises both polyphenol yield and neuroprotective potential. These findings establish a phytochemical and pharmacological rationale for further investigation of standardised flavonol-enriched fractions as multi-target agents for Alzheimer's disease and oxidative stress-related pathologies.
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APA 7th
Rahali, N., Soltani, I., & Messaoud, C. (2026). Phenolic chemotypic diversity in Tunisian Hertia cheirifolia populations: influence of plant organs and phenological stages on antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10140560/v1
Vancouver
Rahali N, Soltani I, Messaoud C. Phenolic chemotypic diversity in Tunisian Hertia cheirifolia populations: influence of plant organs and phenological stages on antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities. Research Square. 2026. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10140560/v1.
BibTeX
@article{rahali2026-e54b0b73,
author = {Rahali, N. and Soltani, I. and Messaoud, C.},
title = {{Phenolic chemotypic diversity in Tunisian Hertia cheirifolia populations: influence of plant organs and phenological stages on antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities}},
journal = {Research Square},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-10140560/v1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10140560/v1}
}
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Key findings
- Although its ethnobotanical profile is well documented, a comprehensive quantitative characterisation of its phenolic extracts and the relationship between chemical composition and biological activity has not previously been attempted.è Results Phenolic accumulation ranked consistently as leaves > flower buds > flowers > fruits (TPC up to 94.86 mg GAE/g, TFC up to 21.76 mg ER/g, TFlC up to 12.09 mg EQ/g in leaves).
- Seasonal monitoring revealed a bimodal polyphenol pattern, peaking in October (146.53 mg GAE/g) and December (123.47 mg GAE/g), while flavonoid content peaked at full flowering (December: 35.20 mg ER/g).
- In silico ADMET profiling revealed quercetin as a likely direct AChE inhibitor with acceptable drug-likeness (bioavailability score 0.55), while rutin may serve as a natural pro-drug.
- These findings establish a phytochemical and pharmacological rationale for further investigation of standardised flavonol-enriched fractions as multi-target agents for Alzheimer's disease and oxidative stress-related pathologies.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 21 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 13 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 21 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (Research Square) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 13 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 13 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 21 out of 100. |
| Total | 21 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
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