Volatile Oil, Phytochemical, and Biological Activities Evaluation of Trachyspermum ammi Seeds by Chromatographic and Spectroscopic Methods

摘要

Trachyspermum ammi L. (bishop's weed), belonging to Apiaceae family, is used as a condiment in curries, and in folk medicine for its antidiarrheal and anthelmintic properties and as a laxative. The current study was designed to extract and analyze the volatile oil of T. ammi by simultaneous-distillation extraction (SDE) and gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and identify its major constituents by Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Furthermore, the study evaluated the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticholinesterase activities by ultraviolet spectroscopy. Among the 81 prominent peaks observed in GC-MS, the major volatile flavor compounds were thymol (50.04%) > γ-terpinene (19.13%) > ρ-cymene (18.95%) > β-pinene (2.11%) > carvacrol (1.53%). Additionally, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol fractions exhibited comparatively high of phenolic and flavonoid contents. These fractions also potently inhibited the DPPH and ABTS free radicals. However, n-hexane, chloroform, and aqueous extracts were shown to provide significant antibacterial, antifungal, and anticholinesterase activities. Hence, T. ammi confirmed to be a rich source of volatiles and phenolics exhibiting significant antioxidant and anticholinesterase activities, and thus, may provide positive health impacts.