Antioxidant Properties of Apium graveolens

Apium graveveolens (Celery) an ancient vegetable spice consumed in both tropical and western world was investigated for its antioxidant properties. The ethanol extract of Apium graveolens gave 15.5% yield and the extract was used for lipid peroxidation scavenging tests. The acute toxicity of the ethanol extract of Apium graveolens was investigated using 21 albino mice and was found out to be 2450mg/kg body weight, which indicates that the plant is relatively safe for human consumption. Both the fresh, dried leaves and stem of Apium graveolens were subjected to phytochemical analysis and the results showed that the plant contains alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, proteins, fats and oils, carbohydrates, steroids and tannins with the dried samples having a higher concentration than the fresh samples. The ethanol extract of Apium graveolens showed significant nitric oxide induced free radical scavenging activity when compared with ascorbic acid. The extract also showed significant inhibition of carbon tetrachloride and ferrous sulphate induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenate when compared with ascorbic acid.