Purpose: Cuminum cyminum (CC, commonly known as Cumin in English and Jeera in Hindi) and Bunium persicum (BP, commonly known as Bitter cumin in English and Kashmiri Jeera in Hindi) belongs to Apiaceae family and are known for various health beneficial properties. Both CC and BP are widely used in traditional system of medicine viz., Unani and Ayurveda. Although several studies have reported anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer activities of the extracts of CC and BP, not much is known about the ones that are grown in drought conditions such as the one observed in desert margin of Iran. Iran is known for producing high-quality spices and flavouring ingredients. There are some reports on the positive effect of abiotic stresses, on the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, enzyme activities and solute accumulation in the presence of stresses such as drought and high temperature. Considering the above characteristics, medicinal and aromatic plants would appear to be model plants for investigating secondary metabolic responses, owing to their richness of diverse natural secondary metabolites. The chemical compounds in both CC and BP depend on their growth origin and extraction method. It is likely that the present geographical areas under cumin cultivation in India and other parts of the world, will face more drought and hot climate in the future and industry and producers should take some foresight steps. Therefore in this study we selected two main types of Cumin (CC and BP) produced in a very dry climate (Seghaleh, South Khorasan, Iran) to compare their phytochemical constituents, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of extracts generated by using hexane, dichloromethane and ethanol. Methodology: CC and BP were extracted sequentially with hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), ethanol and water solvent; and characterized by colorimetric and chromatographic methods. Antioxidant and antiproliferative potentials were determined by DPPH, FRAP, and SRB assay. Results: Among the extracts collected, highest yield was recorded for hexane in case of CC-H (~13%) and DCM in case of BP-DCM (~5.2%). Very low yield was recorded with water (~0.002%) in case of BP. Ethanol extract of CC and BP showed highest total phenols, flavonoids, total protein and total carbohydrate content compared to hexane and DCM extracts. Highest antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scavenging potential and ferric ion reducing ability) and anti-proliferative potential were observed in the ethanol extract of both CC and BP. Preliminary characterization of phytoconstituents by HPLC showed the presence of gallic acid and protocatechuic acid in the ethanolic extract of CC and BP Conclusion: Results of our study showed that the ethanol extract of CC and BP is rich in phytoconstituents and exhibited potent antioxidant and antiproliferative potential. Key words: Black cumin, essential oils, spice, solvents

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