Caraway (Carum carvi) and Bloating: evidence and sources

Carum carvi L. (Apiaceae family) or caraway is a common household plant grown around the world including Iran. Caraway fruits are used as flavoring agent in foods and beverages, and have various traditional uses in ethnomedicine. Anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, carminative and immunomodulatory properties of caraway suggest that it might exert beneficial effects on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effects of caraway hydroalcoholic extract (CHE) and its essential oil (CEO) in an immunological model of colitis in rats induced by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Different doses of CHE (100, 200, 400 mg/kg) and CEO (100, 200, 400 μl/kg) were administered orally (p.o.) and also doses of CHE (100, 400 mg/kg) and CEO (100, 400 μl/kg) were given intraperitoneally (i.p.) to the separate groups of male Wistar rats (n=6). Administration of the doses started 6 h after induction of colitis and continued daily for 5 consecutive days. Wet colon weight/length ratio was measured and tissue damage scores as well as indices of colitis were evaluated both macroscopically and histopathologically. CHE and CEO at all doses tested were effective in reducing colon tissue lesions and colitis indices and the efficacy was nearly the same when different doses of plant fractions were administered p.o. or i.p. Administration of prednisolone (p.o., 4 mg/kg), Asacol® (mesalazine microgranules, p.o., 100 mg/kg) and hydrocortisone acetate (i.p., 20 mg/kg) as references were effective in reducing colon tissue injures as well. These data suggest that caraway fractions are both effective and possess anti-colitic activity irrespective of the dose and route of administration.

In the present study crude ethanolic extract and its various fractions (ethyl acetate, hexane and aqueous) of medicinal plant Carum carvi L. were examined for α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition using an-in vitro model. Both digestive enzymes were extracted from bovine and green gram. The crude extract and its fractions were also studied for their antioxidant potential by DPPH and Nitric oxide activity. The quantitative assessment of phenol and flavonoid contents was also estimated. The crude extract and its fractions exhibited high in-vitro enzyme inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase at different concentrations with IC 50 ranging from 421.4±7.8 to 810±5.71and 72±8.81 to 307.0±11.42μg/mL of each extract respectively. The plant showed highest total phenolic contents ranging from 29.5±0.49 to 112.5±0.36mg/g Gallic acid of extract, while the total flavonoid contents were estimated from3.08±0.02-85.4± 0.12mg/g Quercetin. The antioxidant activities of the all extracts, measured in terms of IC 50 values were in the range of 53.05±1.98 to 211.5±31.06μg/mL. Nitric oxide scavenging ability exhibited their IC 50 values from 26.3±5.51 to 121.3±5.32μg/mL. Ethanolic crude extract showed excellent result among all these fractions. GCMS analysis of ethanolic extract of Carum carvi L indicated the presence of several phytochemicals such as monoterpenes, unsaturated fatty acids, furan derivatives, phenolic and flavonoid contents.