Cytotoxic and antioxidant activity of essential oil of seeds of Foeniculumvulgare

Foeniculumvulgare Mill.is an herbaceous aromatic and perennial plant of the Apiaceae family. This plant is used in traditional medicine for increasing milk, treatment of digestive problems and respiratory function and also as a spice. The present study was conducted to examine the cytotoxic and antioxidant activity of essential oil of fennel seeds cultivated in Hamedan region.The seeds essential oil from fennel, was extracted byhydrodistillation (HD).The results showed fennel essential oil haveweak antioxidant activity (50%) and very high cytotoxic effect (LC50≤50μg/mL).