Table 7.
Summary of the biological activity of basil seeds and their constituents.
| Component/Constituents | Biological Activity | Type of Study | Doses | Results | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed oil (Petroleum ether extract of basil seeds) |
α-linolenic acid fatty acids | Anti-inflammatory | Models of carrageenan, leukotriene, and arachidonic acid-induced paw edema in rats. | 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mL/kg of fixed oil | Significant inhibition of paw edema with 3.0 mL/kg dose. Higher α-linolenic acid content produced a greater inhibition of paw edema. | [75] |
| Anti-asthmatic | Histamine-induced bronchospasm in guinea pigs. | 0.2 mL and 0.5 mL/kg of fixed oil | Maximum activity observed at 0.5 mL/kg dose of fixed oil for histamine- and acetylcholine-induced bronchospasm. | [76] | ||
| Acetylcholine-induced bronchospasm in guinea pigs. | 0.5 mL/kg of fixed oil | |||||
| Anti-inflammatory | Induction of paw edema in rats, viz. carrageenan, serotonin, histamine and prostaglandins (PGE2). | 0.1 mL/100 g of fixed oil | Fixed oil inhibited hind paw edema induced in rats by treatment with carrageenan, serotonin, histamine, and PGE2. | |||
| Antipyretic | Testing it against typhoid-paratyphoid fever A/B vaccine induced pyrexia in rats. | 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mL/kg of fixed oil | At doses of 1.0 mL/kg or higher, the oil exhibited a defined antipyretic property. The activity at a dose of 3.0 mL/kg was similar to that of aspirin. | [77] | ||
| Analgesic | Methods of tail flapping, tail clip, tail dip, and twisting induced by Acetic acid. | 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mL/kg of fixed oil | Using an acetic acid-induced writhing method, the oil showed significant inhibition in a dose-dependent manner suggesting its possible mechanism related to the peripheral system. | [78] | ||
| Anti-arthritics | Induction, by injecting a Mycobacterium tuberculosis suspension and by injecting a formaldehyde solution into rats. | 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mL/kg of fixed oil | The fixed oil presented greater anti-arthritis activity at a dose of 3.0 mL/kg, which was similar to the effect of aspirin. | [79] | ||
| Antiulcer | Aspirin-, indomethacin-, alcohol-, histamine-, reserpine-, serotonin-, and stress-induced ulceration in rats and guinea pigs. | 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mL/kg of fixed oil | The fixed oil possesses greater antiulcer activity at a dose of 3.0 mL/kg | [80] | ||
| Antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant | Application of a diet together with fixed oil and cholesterol in rabbits. | 0.8 g/kg of fixed oil | The fixed oil presented a hypocholesterolaemic effect when it was added to the diet for five weeks. | [81] | ||
| Antimicrobial | Determination by paper disc diffusion method. | Fixed oil has good antibacterial activity against S. aureus, B. pumilus and P. aeruginosa, where S. aureus was the most sensitive organism (zone of inhibition 0.8 mm). | [83] | |||
| Anticoagulant | Intraperitoneal application of fixed oil to rats. | 3.0 mL/kg of fixed oil | Fixed oil increased the blood-clotting time and the percentage increase was comparable to aspirin. | [82] | ||
| Anticancer | 20-Methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma tumors injected subcutaneously in the thigh region of mice. | 100 mL/kg of fixed oil | The fixed oil presented chemopreventive efficacy at a dose of 100 mL/kg, which was comparable to the effect of Vitamin E | [83] | ||
| Phytochemical (petroleum ether extract of basil seeds) |
Alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, tannins, terpenoids | Antioxidant | DPPH radical scavenging assay | 73.85% of the antioxidant capacity of O. basilicum seeds results from the contribution of phenolic compounds. | [13] | |
| Anticancer | MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium Bromide) assay. | The cell viability percentage showed a maximum activity at a lower concentration, i.e., 12.5 μg/mL. |
||||
| Antimicrobial | Determination by using the well diffusion method. | Highest zone of inhibition was observed at 100 mg/mL concentration against P. aeruginosa. | ||||
| Water soluble polysaccharides (aqueous extracts) |
Glucose, galacturonic acid, rhamnose, mannose, arabinose, glucuronic acid, and galactose |
Antidiabetic | Measuring the inhibitory activity for protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B in vitro. | Inhibitory activity for protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B IC50 = 8.20 µg/mL |
[14] | |
| Peptides (Hydrolyzed and non-hydrolyzed extracts) |
P1 (ACGNLPRMC) P2 (ACNLPRMC) P3 (AGCGCEAMFAGA) |
Antioxidant activity α-amylase inhibitory activity. |
DPPH and FRAP methodPotential α-amylases inhibitor peptides | Peptides can be used as therapeutic agents to reduce the risk of oxidative stress and to prevent type-2 diabetes. | [72] | |
IC50: corresponds to the half maximal inhibitory concentration; FRAP: Ferric reducing antioxidant power.