Study on anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-tyrosinase, and antioxidant activities, and total phenolic content of nine Apiaceae species

The family Apiaceae contains valuable commercial species including medicinal, spicy, vegetable, and ornamental species. Although there are many reports on medicinal properties and phytochemical content of commercial Apiaceae species, little information is available about other relatives of this family. In this study, the medicinal properties including anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-tyrosinase, and antioxidant activities along with total phenolic content (TPC) of nine Apiaceae species were assessed. Our results revealed a wide variation of medicinal properties and phytochemical content between different species. The studied plants were identified as potential sources of anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-tyrosinase, and antioxidant properties. The highest antioxidant, anti-acetylcholinesterase and anti-tyrosinase properties were found in Conium maculatum, Prangos uloptera and Malabaila secacul, respectively. Moreover, the results showed that the TPC and consequently antioxidant properties of methanolic extract were several times more than that of ethyl acetate extract in each species. Overall, the species studied in the present research possessed favorable to extreme amounts of medicinal properties and phytochemical content that was first reported here and could be considered in the pharmaceutical, food, and agricultural industries.