Antioxidant, oxidative DNA damage protective and antimicrobial activities of the plant Trigonella foenum-graecum.

BACKGROUND

The plant Trigonella foenum-gracecum (TFG) is used as antidiabetic and diuretic. In order to ascertain antioxidant potential of leaf (early and mature) and seed of TFG, total phenolics, free radical scavenging assay, superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, reducing power, lipid peroxidation, ferric thiocyanate assay, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and DNA damage protective activities were determined. The study was further carried out to assay the antimicrobial activity and HPLC analysis of plant parts.

RESULTS

Ethanol extracts of leaf (early and mature) exhibited a high content of phenolics (54.79 and 41.28 g kg(-1) GAE) when it was compared with seed extract (23.85 g kg(-1) GAE). Results showed that mature TFG leaf extract had the lowest IC50 for the free radical scavenging assay (IC50 = 2.23 mg mL(-1)), superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 2.71 mg mL(-1)), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 17.30 mg mL(-1)) and highest reducing power (10.14 ascorbic acid equivalents mL(-1)). However, the ethanol seed extract showed the maximum inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the ferric thiocyanate assay. Mature leaf also showed the maximum DNA damage protection activity and higher concentration of phytochemicals.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that the mature TFG leaf had a higher antioxidant activity, which may be due to the presence of total phenolics. It may be used in herbal drugs or as a nutritional supplement.