Ufuk Koca

• Washington State University, Department of Biochemistry Master's . University of Florida, Molecular and Cellular Biology PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Gazi University

This study investigated the effect of some herbal extracts, such as licorice root, white mulberry leaf, green tea leaf, and grape seed, with a combination of bacterial nanocellulose and some bioactive materials, such as ascorbic acid, niacinamide, hexylresorcinol, and alpha-arbutin, on treatment of hyperpigmentation. The effect of the prepared emul...

Objective: Recently, biosynthesis/synthesis of nanoflowers has become very attractive for chemical and pharmaceutical sciences, and enhanced enzyme activities. Various plant extracts and their active compounds are effectively used as organic component for novel nanoflowers synthesis. Solanum melongena L., commonly known as eggplant in English, a ve...

Objective: A questionnaire study was conducted to evaluate the applications of plants and herbal products consumed by diabetic patients for the treatment of chronic health conditions. Evaluation of the questionnaire confirmed that olive leaf is one of the most used herbs in the treatment of diabetes, in line with its traditional use in the literatu...

The liver is the main organ for metabolic and detoxification reactions in the body. Therefore, its diseases can be associated with both metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, or dyslipidemia, and exogenous insults such as drugs, xenobiotics, or alcohol. Indeed, lifestyle changes are the primary approaches for the preven...

Satureja is a large genus in Lamiaceae that is represented by 200 species. The name “satureia” means “herb of satyrs” and came from Latin. The majority of Satureja species are utilized in traditional medical practices around the globe to treat patients with a range of illnesses and complications. Numerous species have been pharmacologically assesse...

Plant-based compounds have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times, as easily accessible and low-cost treatment options. Despite the widespread belief that plants are quite safe and devoid of side effects, scientific studies have revealed the toxicity potential of active components of plants on healthy cells. The present study was desi...

This study was designed to investigate in vitro biological activities and phytochemical composition of aqueous and ethanolic extracts from Achillea sintenisii Hub- Mor. (AS). To determine the chemical composition of AS extracts, phytochemical analyses were performed by using HPLC–ESI-Q-TOF-MS-MS. Afterwards, both extracts were investigated in terms...

Objectives: The lack of a specific proven treatment for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has led individuals to use different treatment options. Although their effects on COVID-19 have not been proven, interest in dietary supplements and aromatherapy has increased during the pandemic period. In this study, use of dietary supplements and aromath...

In this study organic‐inorganic hybrid nanoflowers were synthesized using methanolic extracts of the medicinal plants Ajuga chamaepitys subsp. chia var. chia, Achillea wilhelmsii, Bongardia chrysogonum, Malva sylvestris, Phlomis grandiflora var. grandiflora, Verbascum sp. together with copper ions (Cu2+). The synthesized plant extract based–inorgan...

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, son yıllarda tüm yaş gruplarında bitkisel ürünlere yönelimin artmasından yola çıkarak, çocuk polikliniğine başvuran çocukların ve ebeveynlerinin bitkisel ürün kullanımının araştırılması ve değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Anket çalışması, Gülhane Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Çocuk Hastalıkları Polikliniği’ne...

This study aimed to evaluate the hyaluronidase and gelatinase inhibitory activities and toxicity potentials of Persea americana Mill. extract and its synthesized hybrid nanoflowers. In the first part of the study, characterization of the nanoflower structures was carried out and then, enzyme inhibitory activities of the methanol extract and hybrid...

Information about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still evolving since its appearance in December 2019 and has affected the whole world. Particularly, a search for an effective and safe treatment for COVID-19 continues. Botanical mixtures contain secondary metabolites (such as flavonoids, phenolics, alkaloids, essential oils etc...

Thyroid gland is vascular gland located on the right and left sides of the end of the larynx the beginning of the trachea. It produces, stores, secretes thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones are important for growth, development, metabolism. Thyroid gland dysfunctions: hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, euthyroid, goiter, thyroid nodules, thyroiditis, t...

Background Tissue cells of the eye are sensitive to oxidative stress leading to oxidative damage and inflammation, which have crucial roles in the pathogenesis of most of the eye diseases. Moreover, factors such as age, angiogenesis, ischemia, genetic predisposition, diabetes, obesity, and smoking affect the onset and progression of ocular anomalie...

Transdermal drug delivery system is an administration route, where active molecules are administered through the skin with advantages of a lesser amount of hepatic first pass effect, constant plasma drug concentration and safety. The skin has a barrier function for the passage of medicines as well as toxic molecules, thus, permeation boosters/enhan...

Ethnopharmacological relevance Solanum melongena L. (eggplant) is used for treatment of rheumatism, beriberi, itching, toothache, bleeding, asthma, bronchitis, cholera, neuralgia and hemorrhoids in traditional medicine (Turkish, Chinese, and Indian). Hemorrhoids from these diseases, are common illness in all over the world, which are treated with v...

Trifolium (red clover) belongs to Fabaceae family, is a legume, and has long been provided noteworthy contributions to agricultural and animal production in all over the world. T. pratense L. has seven diploid (2n = 2x = 14) varieties, a natural source of valuable isoflavonoids, some of which are available commercially worldwide. The tetraploid T....

Kenevir Bitkisi ve Kannabinoid Üretiminde Biyoteknolojik Yöntemlerin Uygulanması Cannabis türleri gerek bütün bitki, gerekse metabolitleri ve yasal olduğu ölçüde hammadde olarak değişik ülke ve eyaletlerde çok farklı endüstrilerde farklı amaçlarla kullanılmaktadır. Bitkinin temel aktif bileşenleri arasında, kannabinoidler olmak üzere terpen ve fen...

Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subsp. rosulans (Borbas) Jalas (TS) is a commonly used plant in the treatment of various complaints, including skin wounds in Turkish folk medicine. Despite the widespread traditional use of TS, there is not any scientific report confirming the effectiveness of this plant on the healing process. This research aimed to investi...

Phlomis grandiflora H.S Thompson var. grandiflora, belongs to Lamiaceae family, has been utilized traditionally for the treatment of wound, inflammation, ulcer, diabetes and hemorrhoid mostly. Though hemorrhoids are so widespread in the world, studies on the prevention and treatment with natural pharmaceutical preparations of them are quite limited...

Bu çalışmada, biyolojik ve farmakolojik olarak aktif bileşiklerin potansiyel kaynağı olabilecek olan Thamnobryum alopecurum'un sporlarından ve gametofit yapılarından in vitro doku kültürü tekniğiyle gametofit üretimi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ayrıca doğadan toplanan ve in vitro doku kültürü ile üretilen örneklerde, 12 farklı fenolik bileşiğin kantitati...

Abstract It is estimated that about 50% of the world population is suffering from haemorrhoids, which is known as the most common anorectal disease. Patients have been trying to cope with the hemorrhoids by utilizing both herbal and chemical preperations. Leaves of Malva sylvestris, which is known as mallow in English, Ebegümeci’ in Turkish, belong...

Tea tree oil or TTO as it is widely known, is an essential oil with a pale yellow color and distinctive odor, obtained by steam distillation from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, which is a native Australian plant. In vitro and in vivo research have shown that it has mainly, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal as well as anti-inflammatory pro...

Cuscuta arvensis Beyr. is a parasitic plant, and commonly known as "dodder" in Europe, in the United States, and "tu si zi shu" in China. It is one of the preferred spices used in sweet and savory dishes. Also, it is used as a folk medicine for the treatment particularly of liver problems, knee pains, and physiological hepatitis, which occur notabl...

Nature has provided many drugs capable of treating and alleviating human diseases. Terrestrial plants, bacteria, insects, fungi, and bee products have played major roles in traditional medicine. Secondary metabolites from a range of bee products, such as honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom, represent a huge repository of chemical bi...

Pistacia terebinthus L. is used as an edible food plant and in folk medicine due to its medicinal properties. Its fruits contain an oil with important therapeutic and interesting nutritional properties due to the high content in oleic and linoleic acids. A valid extraction technique, using supercritical CO2, was tested to obtain a high-quality oil...

Objective: Our aim was to take attention to Citrus aurantium L. ssp. amara Engl. (Rutaceae), which grows widely along the Mediterranean in Turkey where it has very limited medicinal usage. The bitter orange fruits/peels were analysed to find out if they are suitable to the standards in European Pharmacopoeia 7.0. The peel and fixed oil were investi...

Beyond the metabolic functions, the liver recently has been defined as an organ of immune system (IS), which have central regulatory role for innate and adaptive immunity. The liver keeps a delicate balance between hepatic screening of pathogenic antigens and immune tolerance to self-antigens. Herbal treatments with immunological effects have poten...

Methanolic extracts of 16 plant species, used in herbal and traditional medicinal preparations, collected from the same geographic region (Golcuk-Seben/Bolu, Turkey) were evaluated for their relative total phenolic contents, total antioxidant activities and their mineral contents in both dried plant samples and methanolic extracts. These species in...

The concept of melatonin has become more important recently both in plants and in human who utilize plants for nutritional and health purposes. Melatonin, synthesized from L-tryptophan by enzyms, protects plants against difficult conditions. People have consumed these plants for their antioxidant, immunomodulator, antiinflammatory and anticancer ef...

Hemorrhoidal disease is a benign perianal disease, which is basically caused by vasodilation on pleux haemorrhoidalis vein, which affects mainly individuals at their active ages, and it is believed that the number of cases is much higher than the actual reported number. The majority of the patients’ complaints consist of pain, itching, bleeding and...

Previous reports of plant regeneration of natural tetraploid T. pratense L. 'Elci' could be realized only through the apical meristem calli. In order to proceed to the production stage, other regeneration methods need to be tried. Aseptic seedlings were used for the production of somatic embryos through various 2,4-D and kinetin trials. Nonuniform...

The extracts from 25 plant species from Salvia, Hypericum, Onosma, Thymus, Origanum, Rosa, and Prunus with eight isolated compounds were screened for their memory-vitalizing potential against the enzymes, i.e., acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and tyrosinase (TYR) along with DPPH, DMPD, and NO radicals and iron-chelation c...

Centaurea tchihatcheffii Fisch. & C.A. Mey. (Mediterranean knapweed, in Turkish yanardoner) is an annual, appealing endemic species, which grows only very little location in the Golbasi district of Ankara-Turkey. Therefore it is very important to produce and multiply valuable endemic species biotechnologically. In order to induce callus, pappus of...

The main goal of this study was to establish callus cell suspension cultures of Medicago sativa L. 'Elci' and natural tetraploid Trifolium pratense L. and to compare the isoflavone production of the cultures to the original plants. The callus culture was transferred to liquid Murashige and Skoog media (MS3 and MS5) in order to establish the cell su...

In our study, volatile oils, which obtained from Foeniculum vulgare Mill, fruit samples, obtained from cultivars and herbalists, were analyzed for the first time for their compliance with European Pharmacopeae 6.0, for their volatile oil amounts and the contents. Among all the samples only the volatile oil yield of sample FV2 (2.2%) meet the standa...

The mahaleb cherry (Prunus mahaleb L.), a wild member of the Rosaceae family, is an important rootstock for cherry and sour cherry cultivars. Besides horticultural importance, all parts of the plant, specifically the seeds and fruits have been used to give flavor and taste to a variety of its cousins in Mediterranean countries for centuries. The se...

During the past four decades plant cell biotechnology has evolved as a promising new area within the field of biotechnology, focusing on production of secondary metabolites and in vitro propagation of plants. Boraginaceae is one of the family that biotechnological tools were applied extensively because of their economically, ornamentally and medici...

Centaurea tchihatcheffii Fisch. & C.A. Mey. (Mediterranean knapweed, in Turkish yanardoner) is an annual, appealing endemic species, which grows only very little location in the Golbasi district of Ankara-Turkey. Therefore it is very important to produce and multiply valuable endemic species biotechnologically. In order to induce callus, pappus of...

This chapter outlines the application of red clover seeds to health promotion and disease prevention. Limited studies of the seed extract of T. pratense have indicated the presence of the flavonoid compounds quercetin, taxifolin, taxifolin-O-hexos derivatives, hyperoside, and isoquercitrin, and small amounts of other phenolic compounds, some of whi...

In the present study, the potential effects of extracts from the whole plant of Cuscuta arvensis were studied in mice using the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema model for antiinflammatory activity and the p-benzoquinone-induced writhing reflex for the assessment of antinociceptive activity. In order to obtain the extracts, the whole plant of C. a...

Recent scientific studies have proven the importance of trace elements on human health. The main food supplies are plants and animals, which are significant sources of these minerals. Studies on determining mineral compositions of herbs, spices and some other crops have increased all over the world. Published works revealed that spices, herbs and m...

Young shoots of Rubus species have been used for healing of wounds, infected insect bites and pimples in folk medicine for ages. In order to evaluate the wound healing activity of Rubus sanctus, four different extracts were prepared from the whole aerial parts of the plant by using n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol, respectively. Inc...

Achillea species are widely used for diarrhea, abdominal pain, stomachache and healing of wounds in folk medicine. To evaluate the wound healing activity of the plant, extracts were prepared with different solvents; hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol, respectively from the roots of Achillea biebersteinii . Linear incision by using tensi...

The fruiting branches of Colutea cilicica Boiss. & Bal., along with leaves and fruits, have been used to heal inflammatory wounds at traditional medicine in various parts of Turkey. In order to evaluate the wound healing activity of the plant, aqueous extracts were prepared from the flowering parts and fruits of Colutea cilicica Boiss. & Bal. by us...

Arnebia densiflora Ledeb. (Boraginaceae), a medicinal plant growing in Turkey, has been reported to contain a well-known red pigment, shikonin, a naphthoquinone derivative. In the current study, the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory and antioxidant activities of the chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water extracts of the root, stem, and...

We analyzed the effects of sodium hypochlorite and Plant Preservative Mixture (PPM) on surface sterilization. We also examined the effects that the addition of an antibiotic-antimycotic solution to the culture medium had on callus induction. Explants were initially sterilized with different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite and cultured on MS m...

Leaves and fruits of Olea europaea L. (olive) have been used externally as an emollient for skin ulcers and for healing of inflammatory wounds. n-Hexane and aqueous extracts, prepared from the dried leaves of olive, were evaluated for their wound healing activity by using in vivo wound models of linear incision and circular excision in comparison w...

In vitro activity of the extracts of medicinal plants Ecballium elaterium and Arnebia densiflora, which is endemic to Turkey, was screened against isolated strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae that were resistant in disc diffusion test (trimethoprime-sulfamethoxazol, sulbactam-ampicillin, clavulonat-amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, cefepime, imipenem, ceftazi...

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from endemic Centaurea tchihatcheffii Fisch. & Mey. (Asteraceae) from Turkey was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), simultaneously. Main constituents of the oil were found as caryophyllene oxide (15.1%), carvacrol (14.7%), acetophenone (6.2%) and spat...

Several Centaurea species (Asteraceae) are used in Turkish folk medicine to alleviate pain and inflammatory symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis, high fever, head ache and for wound healing. Particularly, the aerial part of Centaurea iberica Trev. ex Spreng. has been practiced on wounds for healing. In order to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and wound...

The roots of Arnebia densiflora (Nordm.) Ledeb. (Boraginaceae), which is an endemic plant for Turkey, have been used for healing of wounds in folk medicine. The extract of the roots in olive oil and mostly the root barks was applied onto open wounds for rapid healing. To evaluate the wound healing activity of the roots, extracts were prepared with...

In the present study, nine extracts of Centaurea tchihatcheffü were screened for their in-vitro antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal activities. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated against both standard and the isolated strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter...

Purpose: To evaluate the ethanol extracts of the flowers, leaves, and stems of Centaureatchihatcheffii Fischer & C.A. Meyer (Asteraceae) for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in male Swiss albino mice. Methods: For the evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity, hind paw oedema was induced in the mice with carrageenan and prostaglandin...

Citrus species accumulate large quantities of flavanone glycosides in their leaves and fruit. The physiological role(s) of these compounds in citrus plants are unknown, but they have been documented to benefit human health upon consumption. Flavanone rutinosides are tasteless, whereas flavanone neohesperidosides, such as naringin, give a bitter tas...

In present study, our goal was to investigate the fatty acid composition of the seed oils obtained from Urtica dioica and U. pilulifera cultivated in Turkey by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Linoleic acid was found to be the main fatty acid (44.29 % for U. dioica and 62.99 % for U. pilulifera), followed by oleic acid (34.93...

Primus armeniaca L. (Rosaceae), known as apricot, is one of the major export products of Turkey and its seed oil has become quite popular in cosmetics industry. On this purpose, fatty acid analysis of the seed oils of three apricot cultivars (Primus armeniaca L.) from different localities in Turkey (Kalecik, Bodrum, and Malatya) was carried out by...

Flavonoids have numeruos biological and pharmacological effects shown by in vitro and in vivo studies. In addition to consumption of flavonoids by diet they are taken as tablets or dry extract capsules to have health benefits especially for their antioxidant and immunostimulant effects. The main goal of the study is to transfer flavonoid pathway ge...

Cydonia oblonga Miller, (Rosaceae) is a tree cultivated for its fruits and known as 'Quince' in English and 'Ayva' in Turkish. Mucilage, in the testa epidermis of seeds, is one of ingredients in many cosmetic preparations is present as 11.2%. The quantity of fixed oil in the cotyledons was determined as 18.73%. The analysis of saponifiable part of...

This is the first report on the fruit oil composition of two Capparis species from Turkey. The fruits of C.spinosa and C.ovata contained 17.7 and 15.9% oil respectively. Myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, elaidic, linoleic, linolenic acids were determined mainly by GC and GC/MS. β-sitosterol was determined in the unsaponifiable matter...

The methyl esters of fatty acids were determined by using capillary GC. The amount of the oil extracted by petroleum ether from the seeds is 20.1%. Linoleic acid is major fatty acid of this mixture. The average of saponification, ester, iodine and acid values are 125.2, 117.2, 73.6, 8.0 respectively.