Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic, Flavonoid and Tannin Contents of Callus and Seeds Extracts of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)

The research aimed to study antioxidant activity, total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin contents of methanolic extracts of callus and seeds and petroleum ether extract of seeds of fenugreek (Traigonella foenum-graecum). Callus was induced from hypocotyls and cotyledons explants in MS medium supplemented with combination of 2 mg/l of different auxin (2, 4-D or NAA) + 0.5 mg/l Kinetin. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated by DPPH method. The highest scavenging activity was obtained from cotyledons derived callus (91.50.16 %) followed by hypocotyls derived callus (85.460.29 %) and methanolic extract of seeds (80.530.01 %). Petroleum ether extract of seeds demonstrated weak antioxidant activity with inhibition percentage 24.560.12 %. Significant differences (phypocotyls derived callus (0.7159mg/g) greater thancotyledons derived callus (0.4914mg/g) greater than ascorbic acid (0.1874mg/g). A lower value of IC50 indicates a higher antioxidant activity. Highest phenolic content were observed in callus of cotyledons (412.087 mg/l), compared to callus of hypocotyls (211.1937 mg/l) and methanolic extract of seeds (124.84 mg/l) calculated as mg/l gallic acid equivalent of phenols. Methanolic extract of seeds showed highest level of flavonoid content (424.951 mg/l), compared to callus of cotyledons (217.285 mg/l) and callus of hypocotyls (95.92 mg/l) calculated as mg/l quercetin equivalent of flavonoids. Tannins content were detected only in methanolic extract of seeds (116.259 mg/l calculated as tannic acid equivalent of tannins).