The present study was carried out to investigate the in vitro angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory and antioxidant activities of the methanolic seed extract of Apium graveolens Linn. belonging to the family Apiaceae. Traditionally the seeds of A. graveolens L. were used as diuretic, anti-inflammatory and aphrodisiac. The ability to inhibit ACE was evaluated by quantifying the decrease in N-[3-(2-furyl)acryloyl]-L-phenylalanylglycylglycine (FAPGG) peak area at 345 nm using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The antioxidant activities of the extracts were determined using various in vitro assays. The ACE inhibitory potency of the seed extract (IC50 = 666.26 ± 1.32μg/ml) was found to be significant (P<0.01) when compared with the standard lisinopril (IC50 = 0.19 ± 0.02ng/ml). The extract showed a strong antioxidant activity when compared with the standard. The results of this study suggest that the methanolic seed extract of A. graveolens has significant antioxidant and ACE inhibitory effect.
