Antioxidant activity of the methanol extract of <i>Ferula assafoetida</i> and its essential oil composition

Abstract

405(18.2 %), ␣.-Bisabolol (10.4%) and Arsine triethyl (8.7 %). Total phenol compounds, as determined by the Folin Ciocalteu method, were 94.8 Ϯ 5.9 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of extract powder and the total flavonoid content (by AlCl 3 method) was 90.9 Ϯ 6.3 mg quercetin equivalent/g of extract powder.KEY-WORDS: Antioxidant activity -Chelating ability -DPPH -Essential oil -Ferula assafoetida. INTRODUCTIONThe role of free radicals in many disease conditions has been well established. Several biochemical reactions in our body generate reactive oxygen species and these are capable of damaging crucial bio-molecules. If they are not effectively scavenged by cellular constituents, they lead to disease conditions (Halliwell et al. 1992). The harmful action of free radicals can be blocked by antioxidant substances, which scavenge the free radicals and detoxify the organism. Several plant extracts and different classes of phytochemicals have been shown to have antioxidant activity Wang et al. 1996;Zheng and Wang 2001). The search for newer natural antioxidants, especially of plant origin, has been increasing ever since. Plants have been a constant source of drugs and recently, much emphasis has been placed on finding new therapeutic agents from medicinal plants. Today many people prefer to use medicinal plants rather than chemical drugs.The Ferula genus from the family of Umbelliferae has been found to be a rich source of gum-resin (Fernch 1971). This resin enjoys a reputation as a folklore medicine (Abd El-Razek et al. 2001). It is considered to be a sedative, carminative, antispasmodic digestive, expectorant, laxative, analgesic, anthelminitic, antiseptic and a diuretic in its properties. It is also believed to have aphrodisiac properties and increase sexual appetite (Eigner and Scholz 1990 La actividad antioxidante de las partes aéreas de Ferula assafoetida se determinó empleando varios sistemas de ensayos in vitro. El IC 50 de la actividad captadora de radicales de DPPH fue 380 Ϯ 12 mg ml Ϫ1 . Los extractos también mostraron una buena actividad captadora de óxido nítrico (IC 50 fue 270 Ϯ 3) y capacidad quelatante de Fe 2ϩ (IC 50 fue 0.57 Ϯ 0.02 mg ml Ϫ1 ). La inhibición de la peroxidación (actividad antioxidante) de los extractos mostró valores del 82% (a las 24 horas) y 88% (a las 72 horas). El extracto mostró un ligero descenso del poder reductor con 25-800 µg ml Ϫ1 de extracto que no fue comparable con la vitamina C (p Ͻ 0.001). Los extractos ensayados mostraron una muy baja actividad antioxidante. Además, la composición química del aceite esencial de las partes aéreas fue determinada. Los principales compuestos fueron fenol, 2-metil-5-(1-metil etilo) (18.2 %), ␣.-Bisabolol (10.4%) and Arsine trietilo (8.7 %). Los fenoles totales, determinados por el método de Folin-Ciocalteau, fue de 94.8 Ϯ 5.9 mg de equivalentes de ácido gálico/g de extracto en polvo y el contenido total de flavonoides (por el método del AlCl 3 ) fue de 90.9 Ϯ 6.3 mg de equivalentes de quercitina/g de extracto en polvo.PALABRAS CLAVE: Aceite es...

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