Volatile compounds and antioxidant activity of the aromatic herb Anethum graveolens

ABSTRACT

Anethum graveolens L. [dill] [Apiaceae] is one of the most popular culinary herbs in the world. Dill has been cultivated since ancient times, and the use of this plant for medicinal and consumption purposes has been recorded dating back to the Greek and Egyptian civilizations. Dill is widely used to give flavor to food. The aim of this work was to assess the chemical composition of the volatile compounds in dill as well as their hepatoprotective and nephroprotective activity against free radicals generated by paracetamol. The chemical composition of the volatile compounds of dill was assessed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Four groups of rats were used [the normal control group, the A. graveolens-supplemented group, the paracetamol-intoxicated group, and the A. graveolens-protected group] for studying the effect of plant infusion on panadol [paracetamol]-induced free radicals and hepatotoxicity. Plasma total antioxidant capacity, plasma catalase, cellular glutathione peroxidase, plasma total protein, albumin, alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphate, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin levels were determined. In addition, kidney functions [plasma urea and creatinine] and histopathological and histochemical changes in the liver were investigated. The phytochemical results identified volatile components 7-alpha-hydroxy manool [24.43%], l-carvone [14.28%], limonene [13.9%], epi-alpha-bisabolol [6.81%], alpha-terpinene [5.44%], and alpha-phellandrene [4.63%] as the main constituents. p-Cymene [2.13%], sabinene [1.98], and alpha-pinene [1.43%] were determined as the minor constituents. The biochemical results showed that a mega dose of paracetamol induced the production of free radicals, which caused damage to hepatocytes and nephrocytes in rats. The aqueous extract of dill revealed high antioxidant properties and acted as an extracellular neutralizer of free radicals. Histopathological and histochemical observations showed severe damage in the liver. Supplementation with dill in paracetamol-intoxicated rats attenuated the damage to the liver. The present study revealed that A. graveolens has antihepatotoxic properties that could minimize the deleterious effects generated by hepatotoxin paracetamol, and therefore it can be used as a potent antihepatotoxic agent