Phytochemicals and medicare potential of ethyl acetate fraction of methanolic extract of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seeds

Phytochemicals provide protection against stress-induced diseases as they adopt multimodal therapeutic approach against multifactorial pathogenecity of diseases, viz. diabetes, (controlling blood glucose and lipids), cancer (inhibition of one or more of the stages of cancer process) and inflammatory diseases [ inhibition of proinflammatory enzymes such as lipoxygenase (LPO), cyclo-oxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2)]. Coriander is one of the oldest spices, possessing multiple traditional health benefits. The present investigation was aimed to identify the phytochemicals by qualitative and quantitative tests and also to assess medicare potential of coriander. Methanolic extract of coriander seeds and all the fractions possessed phytochemicals in an individualized manner but ethyl acetate fraction had the highest concentration of phenolic compounds, steroids and terpenoids, glycosides etc. Hence, ethyl acetate fraction was evaluated for radical scavenging, antiperoxidative and anti-inflammatory activities, using in vitro methods and model systems. Ethyl acetate fraction of coriander seeds concentration dependently scavenged ABTS (IC 50 75 mu g/ml) and DPPH (IC 50 80 mu g/ml) radicals, exhibited antiperoxidative effect in linoleic acid model system (IC 50 105 mu g/ml) and liver homogenate (IC 50 100 mu g/ml) and showed significant anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the activities of inflammatory enzymes, viz. lipoxidase (IC 50 97 mu g/ml) and xanthine oxidase (IC 50 206 mu g/ml). High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) of ethyl acetate fraction revealed the presence of many phenolic compounds, out of which quercetin and rutin could be identified and quantified; rutin being predominant in the fraction, followed by quercetin. Thus, coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seeds are a promising source of phytochemicals with wide applications in the prevention and treatment of diseases induced by free radicals.