1Department of Medical Biology, Medicine Faculty, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Nigde, Türkiye
2Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Medical Laboratory Techniques Program, Vocational School of Health Services, Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University, Gaziantep / Türkiye
3Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Türkiye
4Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Türkiye
5Department of Public Health and Scientific Research, Faculty of Medicine, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International KazakhTurkish University, Turkestan, Kazakhstan
6Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh- Turkish University, Turkestan, Kazakhstan
چکیده
Introduction: Propolis is a very important natural bioactive product with potent antioxidant properties; however, the effects of Kazakhstan propolis on telomere-associated molecular pathways remain largely unexplored. The objective was to comparatively evaluate the antioxidant activity, phytochemical composition, cytotoxicity, and telomere-related gene expression profiles of different solvent extracts obtained from propolis collected from four regions of southern Kazakhstan. Methods: Ethanolic, methanolic, water, and ethyl acetate extracts of four propolis samples (Pro1–Pro4) were prepared. Total phenolic content, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, total flavonoid content, and HUVEC cell viability were determined. Relative expression levels of TERT, TERF1, TERF2, and PINX1 were quantified by qRT- PCR using the fold change ΔΔCt method with GAPDH. Results: Methanolic extracts of samples generally showed the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity. All extracts showed low cytotoxicity toward HUVEC cells, indicating good cellular compatibility. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that methanol extracts markedly enhanced TERF1 and TERT expression, particularly in the Pro2 and Pro3 samples, whereas ethanol extracts produced intermediate responses, and aqueous extracts showed comparatively weaker effects. TERF2 expression exhibited moderate upregulation, while PINX1 showed variable but non-significant alterations among treatment groups. One-way ANOVA revealed significant differences for TERF1, TERT, and TERF2. Conclusions: These data present that phenolic-rich propolis extracts may support to endothelial health by regulating oxidative damage with telomere homeostasis, and highlight Kazakhstan propolis as a healthy natural material of important compounds for healthy vascular aging.