Abstract
Trachyspermum ammi (TA) is a traditional medicinal plant which can be considered as a source of natural antioxidants and can be used for a wide range of infectious diseases. Our objectives were to explore the biochemical efficacies of the aqueous and acetonic extract of TA with special emphasis on antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Nutritional profile and phytochemical screening were performed by standard methods. The agar well diffusion method was used to assess the antimicrobial activity against ten (10) clinical bacterial strains and five (5) fungal stains. The free radical scavenging activity of the acetonic extract was estimated spectrophotometrically by the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. In seeds of TA, the crude fat, crude fiber, vitamin C, moisture, ash contents, crude protein, TSS, total acidity, pH and total sugar were 4.6 ± 0.19%, 4.2 ± 0.1%, 13.5 ± 0.7%, 9.5 ± 0.19%, 11.5 ± 1.7%, 1.46 ± 0.2%, 1.1 ± 0.01%, 0.65 ± 0.01%, 5.75 ± 0.9% and 5.1 ± 0.9% respectively. TA tested positive for alkaloids, carbohydrates and sugar, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, protein and amino acid, gum and mucilage and tannins, while negative results were found for saponins. Antioxidant assessments by DPPH assay showed that acetonic extract of TA possess high radical-scavenging activity i.e., 71.0 ± 2.3%. Vitamin C was used as reference standard. Susceptibility testing of acetonic extract of TA revealed strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (zone of growth inhibition 13 mm), good activity against Salmonella typhi and Xanthomonas (with zone diameter of 12 mm), while TA was least active against Salmonella heidelberg (inhibition zone diameter of 5 mm), Klebsiella pneumoniae and Clostridium with 6 mm zone of inhibition. TA also exhibited maximum antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger (15 mm) and Entomola (11 mm). While least activity was observed against A. flavus and Alternaria alternata (inhibition zone diameter of 9 mm, each). Based on the experimental data, TA could be considered as a therapeutic agent to inhibit the free radical-mediated reactions in biological systems. However further molecular studies and mechanistic insights are needed.
Highlights
Researchers are focusing on the assessment of phytomedicines for the detection of bioactive compounds such as tocopherols, carotenoids, ascorbates, polyphenolics and terpenoids which are consumed as alternative therapeutic agents for the treatment of various pathologies [1]
Vitamin C was used as a standard which displayed 38.08 ± 1.18, 53.58 ± 1.16, 68.37 ± 1.15, 81.28 ± 2.45, 83.12 ± 2.78, 84.21 ± 2.54 and 85.0 ± 2.75 (%) antioxidant activity at different concentrations i.e., 1-30 mg/mL
Our data suggest that Trachyspermum ammi (TA) seeds are an excellent source of vitamins which are essential in the human diet
Summary
Researchers are focusing on the assessment of phytomedicines for the detection of bioactive compounds such as tocopherols, carotenoids, ascorbates, polyphenolics and terpenoids which are consumed as alternative therapeutic agents for the treatment of various pathologies [1]. Free radicals are produced as a result of aerobic metabolic processes in cellular membrane, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisomes, nucleus, lysosomes and cytoplasm, which causes oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, cells (cytotoxicity), nucleic acids, lipids, enzyme inhibition and leads to cellular death [2]. The fruit of and TA has approximately 5% essential oil in its compartments which are important commercial products for food and flavoring industry [5]. Beside these industrial applications, TA have numerous pharmacological properties and various biological activities like anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, antihypertensive, antiflatulent, antilithiasis, antispasmodic, analgesic, bronchodilator, hepatoprotective, antiplatelet, insecticidal and spermicidal activities [6,7]
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