Phytochemical and Biological Studies on Muscari inconstrictum Seeds Distributed in Iran

Muscari Miller. (Asparagaceae family) contains about 50 species worldwide, which are distributed in the Central and Southeastern Europe, Southern Russia, Africa, and some area of Asia such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Anatolia, and Syria. This study was designed to assess the antioxidant and antimalarial activities of Muscari inconstrictum Rech. f. seeds as one of the Iranian species of Muscari genus. In addition, preliminary phytochemical analysis of the extracts with different polarities was performed.

The essential oil of M. inconstrictum seeds was prepared using Clevenger and extracted with n-hexane, chloroform, and methanol (MeOH) by Soxhlet apparatus. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for the characterization of essential oil. Total phenol and flavonoid contents were measured using Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride reagents. Free radical scavenging and antimalarial activities were investigated via 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and cell-free ß-hematin formation methods.

GC-MS analysis of the volatile oil of seeds demonstrated the presence of sesquiterpenoid, alkanes, fatty acid, and linear alcohol structures as the main constituents. Among different extracts of M. inconstrictum seeds, the methanolic extract showed significant antioxidant activity, which can be related to the presence of flavonoid and other phenolic structures. Furthermore, chloroform extract is introduced as the most potent antimalarial part.

It seems that further studies on the M. inconstrictum seeds are necessary to focus on pure compounds and their biological activities.