Jovana Vuković

Alchemilla alpina L. (Rosaceae), belongs to a genus well recognized in traditional medicine for treating gynecological disorders and hormonal imbalance; however, the specific bioactivity of A. alpina itself remains poorly characterized. This study aimed to elucidate the phenolic composition and the biological potential of the methanolic (MeOH) extract of A. alpina. LC–MS/MS analysis identified 39 phenolic compounds, with rutin, catechin, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, and caffeic acid being the dominant constituents. The extract exhibited high total phenolic and flavonoid contents, consistent with strong antioxidant capacities. It demonstrated notable α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities, indicating its potential relevance for metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders. The extract effectively reduced AAPH-induced ROS levels in MRC-5 fibroblasts, indicating cytoprotective and antioxidative effects. The cytotoxicity toward cervical cancer cells HeLa and ovarian cancer cells A2780 was moderate and concentration dependent. A yeast-based fluorescent screen revealed a strong and selective binding affinity toward estrogen receptor α (ERα) and selective inhibition of human recombinant AKR1C3 (59.5%), without affecting AKR1C4. Additionally, high COX-1/COX-2 inhibition (>70%) supported its anti-inflammatory potential. Collectively, these findings provide the first integrated evidence of A. alpina’s phenolic richness and multifunctional bioactivity, scientifically supporting its potential in managing hormone-dependent and oxidative stress-related disorders.

Acute kidney injury (AKI), which is the most frequent cause of transitory or prolonged renal hypoperfusion called ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), is characterized by an acute inflammatory response, tubular necrosis, programmed cell death, and shedding of epithelial cells into the tubular lumen. Unfortunately, the pathophysiology of IRI is multifactorial and only partially understood. IRI is a pathological condition that may be responsible for various changes, such as structural and functional changes in epithelial cells and changes in the interstitium (inflammation and microvasculopathy). Even though studies suggest that stem cells (SC) can play an important role during kidney repair; they also suggest that they aid in regeneration and provide possible therapeutic modalities. These cells may be derived from different sources, including bone marrow (BM) or kidney. Two important characteristics of these cells are their ability to undergo transdifferentiation into tubular cells and/or to fuse with endothelial cells. The proliferation of dedifferentiated cells can significantly contribute to tissue regeneration. Mature kidney cells that participate in repairing kidney damage, typically differentiate from renal stem cells that have migrated to the location of kidney regeneration or from bone marrow stem cells accessible to the injured epithelium. However, only a small percentage of SC from BM stably integrates into the endothelial and/or tubular epithelial cells. Although SC therapy shows remarkable benefits in IRI, most findings come from small experimental models, indicating that further exploration is necessary. On the other hand majority of authors show no benefit of SC in renal IRI. Aim of this review is to evaluate importance of stem cells in repair of renal IRI.