Phytochemicals and biological activities of caraway (Carumcarvi L.) essential oil

Background and aim Caraway is a famous medicinal plant in various pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities of this plant’s essential oil (EO). Materials and methods Caraway EO was obtained from dried caraway seeds using the hydrodistillation process. The composition of caraway EO was inspected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses. The antioxidant activity of caraway EO was determined by three different in vitro antioxidant assays: 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), 2,2’-azino-bis3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS•+) scavenging activity and reducing power. The agar well diffusion method was used to assess the antimicrobial action. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated using the MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethyl thiazol-2yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay, and the data were expressed as the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). Results and conclusion Carvone was the major compound of caraway EO, followed by limonene. Estimation of the antioxidant activity using DPPH• scavenging activity, ABTS•+ scavenging activity, and reducing power assays revealed effective efficacy [IC50=32.46±0.75, 2.44±0.44, and 17.65±0.70 µg/ml, respectively, compared with 11.55±0.53, 1.50±0.29, and 23.19±0.78 µg/ml for standard control (butylated hydroxyanisole), respectively]. Strong anticancer activity was detected against all types of cancer cells, especially the colon cell line (HCT-116) and liver cell line (HepG-2). These results suggest that caraway EO can be used as a preservative food agent in food industries as well as in the field of pharmacy, as it presents promising anticancer properties.