Document Type : Research Article
Authors
Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Medicinal Plants and Natural Products Research Center, institute of Cancer, Avicenna Health Research institute, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Abstract
Coriandrum sativum L. (coriander) is a medicinal and culinary herb known for its pharmacological properties, mainly due to flavonoids, phenolic acids, and essential oil. However, detailed pharmacognostic and antioxidant studies on its fruit are limited. This experimental study was carried out at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences during 2024–2025. Fruits of C. sativum were collected from Nahavand, Iran, and identified through standard macroscopic and microscopic analyses. Physicochemical parameters such as total ash, water-soluble ash, acid-insoluble ash, and moisture content were measured. The yields of the methanolic extract and essential oil were measured. Phytochemical profiling was performed using HPLC (rutin, quercetin, gallic acid) and GC-MS (volatile compounds). Antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH assay on extracts, essential oil, and pure compounds. Average fruit dimensions were (1.52 ± 0.51 mm) × (0.27 ± 0.16 mm). Total ash, water-soluble ash, acid-insoluble ash, and moisture content were 6.54 ± 0.25%, 1.70 ± 0.07%, 0.825 ± 0.03%, and 3.4%, respectively. Methanolic extract and essential oil yields were 11% and 0.3%. HPLC analysis revealed rutin (57.48 ± 0.80 mg/50 g plant), quercetin (13.09 ± 0.17 mg/50 g plant), and gallic acid (10.15 ± 0.17 mg/50 g plant) as major phenolic compounds. GC-MS detected 48 volatile compounds, mainly linalool (57.85%), α-pinene (6.78%), and γ-terpinene (5.48%). The methanolic extract showed strong antioxidant activity (55.09 ± 1.75% inhibition at 1 mg/mL), outperforming the essential oil (21.29 ± 6.86% at 15 mg/mL). Among pure compounds, quercetin (75.69%) and gallic acid (74.32%) exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging activities at 100 µg/mL, while linalool showed moderate activity (44.18 ± 6.29% at 100,000 µg/mL). The fruits of C. sativum are rich in bioactive polyphenols and essential oil constituents. The strong antioxidant activity of the methanolic extract is mainly due to rutin, quercetin, and gallic acid. These results highlight coriander’s potential as a natural antioxidant in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications and support further research.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)