Etude phytochimique et évaluation in vitro de l’activité antioxydante et anti-inflammatoire des extraits de la partie aérienne de Anethum graveolens L.

Abstract

Anethum graveolens (family Apiaceae) is an aromatic medicinal plant native to North Africa, traditionally used to treat various ailments such as intestinal spasms, influenza, digestive and urinary disorders, inflammation, and cancer. This study aims to assess the yield of two extracts from the aerial parts of this plant (an ethanolic extract obtained via maceration and an aqueous extract obtained via decoction), identify and quantify certain secondary metabolites, and evaluate antioxidant activity using three methods: DPPH, CAT, and FRAP. The obtained yields were 3.3% for the ethanolic extract and 19.2% for the aqueous extract. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, and anthraquinones. The total polyphenol content was 22 ± 2.87 µg GAE/mg dry extract for the ethanolic extract and 20 ± 3.09 µg GAE/mg for the aqueous extract. Total flavonoids were quantified at 41 ± 6.64 and 75.37 ± 0.68 µg QE/mg, while flavones and flavonols were measured at 5 ± 0.65 and 15 ± 2.81 µg QE/mg in the ethanolic and aqueous extracts, respectively. The tannin content, determined by the vanillin method, was 9.85 ± 10.07 µg CE/mg in the ethanolic extract. Antioxidant activity, evaluated using the DPPH assay, showed IC50 values of 337.215 ±22.80 µg/ml for the ethanolic extract and 171±2.59 µg/ml for the aqueous extract. The FRAP assay yielded EC50 values of 671.57 µg/ml for the ethanolic extract and 480.8 µg/ml for the aqueous extract. The phosphomolybdate (CAT) assay revealed percentages of 40.24% and 111.789% for the ethanolic extract (using ascorbic acid and quercetin as standards), whereas the aqueous extract exhibited 111.48% and 309.68% with the same standards. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed via the protein denaturation method, using sodium diclofenac as a reference standard. The results showed IC50 values of 989.32 µg/ml for the ethanolic extract and 135.41 ±11.39 µg/ml for the aqueous extract. In conclusion, the findings indicate that Anethum graveolens extracts possess notable antioxidant activity, whereas their anti-inflammatory potential remains relatively modest