Comparative study of some BAS groups of the hydrophilic fraction of coriander fruits (Coriandrum sativum L.) and fennel fruits (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.)

Introduction. The fruits of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), of the celery family (Apiaceae), are approved for medical use in the form of aqueous extracts, while the standardization of raw materials is carried out according to the content of essential oil and its component composition, and the hydrophilic fraction of biologically active substances (BAS) of these types of medicinal plant raw materials is practically not studied, therefore, its research is relevant.

Aim. To study some BAS groups of the hydrophilic fraction of coriander fruits (Coriandrum sativum L.) and fennel fruits (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) and their infusions.

Materials and methods. Coriander fruits and fennel fruits were purchased from a pharmacy and met the requirements of the fifteenth edition of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation. The fruit infusions were prepared according to the instructions on the packaging. The studies were conducted according to the methods of the fifteenth edition of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation.

Results and discussion. In fennel fruits (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), coriander fruits (Coriandrum sativum L.), and infusions made from the fruits, the presence of tannins, flavonoids, polysaccharides, and free amino acids was confirmed, and their quantitative content was determined. It has been established that the content of hydrophilic fraction substances exceeds the content of essential oil in the raw material, but their amount in infusions prepared according to the instructions is low, and further research of the complex of bioactive substances in infusions of coriander and fennel fruits is required.

Conclusion. The hydrophilic fraction of the fennel fruits and coriander fruits, as well as their infusions, have been studied, and the need for further in-depth research has been shown, with the search for marker compounds that determine the pharmacological activity of the aqueous extracts.

1. Das G., Das S., Talukdar A. D., Venil C. K., Bose S., Banerjee S., Shin H.-S., Gutiérrez-Grijalva E. P., Heredia J. B., Patra J. K. Pharmacology and Ethnomedicinal Potential of Selected Plants Species from Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening. 2023;26(2):256–288. DOI: 10.2174/1386207325666220406110404.

2. Thiviya P., Gunawardena N., Gamage A., Madhujith T., Merah O. Apiaceae Family as a Valuable Source of Biocidal Components and their Potential Uses in Agriculture. Horticulturae. 2022;8(7):614. DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae8070614.

3. Nizioł-Łukaszewska Z., Ziemlewska A., Zagórska-Dziok M., Mokrzyńska A., Wójciak M., Sowa I. Apiaceae Bioferments Obtained by Fermentation with Kombucha as an Important Source of Active Substances for Skin Care. Molecules. 2025;30(5):983. DOI: 10.3390/molecules30050983.

4. Sayed-Ahmad B., Talou T., Saad Z., Hijazi A., Merah O. The Apiaceae: Ethnomedicinal family as source for industrial uses. Industrial Crops and Products. 2017;109:661–671. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.09.027.

5. Scandar S., Zadra C., Marcotullio M. C. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) Polyphenols and Their Nutraceutical Value against Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome. Molecules. 2023;28(10):4187. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28104187.

6. Kooti W., Moradi M., Ali-Akbari S., Sharafi-Ahvazi N., Asadi-Samani M., Ashtary-Larky D. Therapeutic and pharmacological potential of Foeniculum vulgare Mill: a review. Journal of HerbMed Pharmacology. 2015;4,(1):1–9.

7. Khan M. S. A., Ahmad I. Chapter 1 – Herbal Medicine: Current Trends and Future Prospects. In: Khan M. S. A., Ahmad I., Chattopadhyay D., editors. New Look to Phytomedicine. London: Academic Press; 2019. P. 3–13. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-814619-4.00001-X.

8. Al-Khayri J. M., Banadka A., Nandhini M., Nagella P., Al-Mssallem M. Q., Alessa F. M. Essential Oil from Coriandrum sativum: A Review on Its Phytochemistry and Biological Activity. Molecules. 2023;28(2):696. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28020696.

9. Ghazanfari N., Mortazavi S. A., Yazdi F. T., Mohammadi M. Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation extraction of essential oil from coriander seeds and evaluation of their composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Heliyon. 2020;6(9):e04893. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04893.

10. Yuan R., Liu Z., Zhao J., Wang Q.-Q., Zuo A., Huang L., Gao H., Xu Q., Khan I. A., Yang S. Novel compounds in fruits of coriander (Coşkuner & Karababa) with anti-inflammatory activity. Journal of Functional Foods. 2020;73:104145. DOI: 10.1016/J.Jff.2020.104145.

11. Chahal K. K., Singh R., Kumar A., Bhardwaj U. Chemical composition and biological activity of Coriandrum sativum L.: A review. Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources. 2017;8(3):193–203.

12. Shahat A. A., Ibrahim A. Y., Hendawy S. F., Omer E. A., Hammouda F. M., Abdel-Rahman F. H., Saleh M. A. Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils from Organically Cultivated Fennel Cultivars. Molecules. 2011;16(2):1366–1377. DOI: 10.3390/molecules16021366.

13. Sayed-Ahmad B., Talou T., Saad Z., Hijazi A., Cerny M., Kanaan H., Chokr A., Merah O. Fennel oil and by-products seed characterization and their potential applications. Industrial Crops and Products. 2018;111:92–98. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.10.008.

14. Syed F. Q., Mirza M. B., Elkady A. I., Hakeem K. R., Alkarim S. An Insight of Multitudinous and Inveterate Pharmacological Applications of Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel). In: Ozturk M., Hakeem K. R., editors. Plant and Human Health, Volume 3: Pharmacology and Therapeutic Uses. Cham: Springer; 2019. P. 231–254. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-04408-4_11.

15. Özbek H., Uğraş S., Dülger H., Bayram İ., Tuncer İ., Öztürk G., Öztürk A. Hepatoprotective effect of Foeniculum vulgare essential oil. Fitoterapia. 2003;74(3):317–319. DOI: 10.1016/s0367-326x(03)00028-5.

16. Rauf A., Akram M., Semwal P., Mujawah A. A. H., Muhammad N., Riaz Z., Munir N., Piotrovsky D., Vdovina I., Bouyahya A. Antispasmodic Potential of Medicinal Plants: A Comprehensive Review. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2021;2021:4889719. DOI: 10.1155/2021/4889719.

17. Duško B. L., Comiæ L., Sukdolak S. Antibacterial activity of some plants from family Apiaceae in relation to selected phytopathogenic bacteria. Kragujevac Journal of Science. 2006;28:65–72.

18. Joshi H., Parle M. Cholinergic Basis of Memory-Strengthening Effect of Foeniculum vulgare Linn. Journal of Medicinal Food. 2006;9(3):413–417. DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2006.9.413.

19. Koppula S., Kumar H. Foeniculum vulgare Mill (Umbelliferae) attenuates stress and improves memory in wistar rats. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2013;12(4):553–558. DOI: 10.4314/tjpr.v12i4.17.

20. Badgujar S. B., Patel V. V., Bandivdekar A. H. Foeniculum vulgare Mill: A Review of Its Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Contemporary Application. BioMed Research International. 2014;2014(4):32 DOI: 10.1155/2014/842674.

21. Javed R., Hanif M. A., Ayub M. A., Rehman R. Chapter 19 – Fennel. In: Hanif M. A., Nawaz H., Khan M. M., Byrne H. J., editors. Medicinal Plants of South Asia. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2020. P. 241–254. DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-08-102659-5.00019-7.

22. Nadolnik L. I., Polubok V. H. Antidiabetic properties of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) fruit extract. In: Achievements and prospects of creating new herbal medicines based on the materials of the International Scientific Symposium «From plant to medicinal product». 4–6 June 2025. Moscow: FSBI VILAR; 2025. P. 647-652. (In Russ.)

23. Rather M. A., Dar B. A., Sofi S. N., Bhat B. A., Qurishi M. A. Foeniculum vulgare: A comprehensive review of its traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety. Arabian Journal of Chemistry. 2016;9:S1574–S1583. DOI: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2012.04.011.

24. Laribi B., Kouki K., M’Hamdi M., Bettaieb T. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and its bioactive constituents. Fitoterapia. 2015;103:9–26. DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2015.03.012.

25. Zubarev P. D. Kovaleva T. Y. On the issue of the use and standardization of raw materials of garden dill (Anethum graveolens L.). In: Botany and the natural diversity of the plant world based on the materials of the All-Russian Scientific Internet Conference with international participation. 16 December 2014. Kazan: IP Sinyayev D. N.; 2015. P. 45–48. (In Russ.)

26. Kovaleva T. Yu., Sergunova E. V., Dorovskikh E. A., Chernova S. V. Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) herb: microscopic analysis. Farmatsiya. 2023;72(3):17–22. (In Russ.) DOI: 10/29296/25419218-2023-03-03.

27. Dorovskikh E. A., Ermakova V. A., Kovaleva T. Yu. Study of the amino acid composition of a nootropic preparation. Farmatsiya. 2020;69(3):18–22. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.29296/25419218-2020-03-03.