Ethnopharmacological Profiling of Foeniculum vulgare Essential Oil and Concentrated Components
Maham Maqbool
Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040-Pakistan
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antifungal activities of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Seeds essential oils extracted by hydro and steam distillation methods under different temperature conditions (110, 115, 120, 125 and 130ºC) and its fractions obtained through low temperature chilling and vacuum distillation methods. The essential oil and fraction that showed maximum antioxidant and antifungal activities were further characterized by GC-MS. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of each essential oil and its fractions were determined by colorimetric assays. The antioxidant activity of each essential oil and its fractions were investigated by measuring DPPH free radical scavenging and reducing power assays. Disc diffusion assay was used to estimate antifungal activity of each essential oil and its fractions. GC-MS analysis of the most active essential oil extracted by steam distillation method at 125 °C revealed estragole (39.05%) and L-fenchone (25.08%) as the major compounds. The most active fraction HC14 revealed estragole (78.89%) and L-limonene (13.04%) as major compounds. The maximum essential oil yield was found to be 0.78% by hydro-distillation at 110 °C. The essential oils and its fractions contained significant amount of total phenolic contents (705.99±0.02 -13.10±0.00 mg/L as GAE) and total flavonoid contents (410.75±0.01 – 3.19±0.17 mg/L as CE). Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Seeds essential oils and its fractions also revealed good DPPH radical scavenging activity (99.64±0.04 – 71.00±0.05 %) and reducing power (0.121±0.001 – 0.009±0.000 nm). Over all, pure essential oil extracted at 125 °C by steam distillation method showed the highest antioxidant and antifungal activities.
Keywords: Foeniculum vulgare Mill, essential oil, fractions, antioxidant, antifungal
Full length article *Corresponding Author, e-mail: mahammqbl@gmail.com; doi# 10.71111/Science today/5-24-1-1-st-5