Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Anthelmintic Activities of Ocimum basilicum (Sweet Basil) Fruits

Abstract

Basil (Ocimum basilicum Linn.) is a plant that has found use in traditional medicine and household remedy against human ailments. The present study aimed at investigating hexane and ethanol fruit extracts of Ocimum basilicum Linn. for their phytoconstituents and anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anthelmintic activities. Phytochemical screenings were performed using standard protocols. Anti-inflammatory activities were assessed using the egg albumin denaturation method, while the antioxidant activities of the extracts were determined using DPPH scavenging, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) assays. In vitro anthelmintic activity of both extracts was investigated against Eudrilus eugeniae (Earthworms). Column chromatography was employed to separate the least polar fraction A, using hexane as the mobile phase, which was analyzed using FTIR analysis. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, saponins, glycosides, steroids, tannins, terpenoids, and flavonoids. The hexane and ethanol extracts exhibited high concentration-dependent anti-inflammatory activities, with their percentage inhibitions being 34.0 ± 0.01 and 17.6 ± 0.04 μg/mL, respectively. The hexane extract showed a higher concentration-dependent antioxidant activity (IC50 of 14.17 ± 1.15 μg/mL) compared to the ethanol extract (IC50 > 100.0 μg/mL) for the DPPH assay. The IC50 values of ethanol and hexane extracts were 623.5 ± 0.27 and >1000.0 μg/mL, respectively, for the H2O2 scavenging assay. TAC was determined to be 37.48 ± 0.09 and 18.81 ± 0.12 gAAE/100 g for ethanol and hexane extracts, respectively. Both extracts showed a higher concentration-dependent anthelmintic activity. Increasing the concentration increased the helmintic potency of the extracts. The results indicate that both hexane and ethanol extracts of Ocimum basilicum Linn. exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anthelmintic activities and support the traditional usage of this plant.