Component composition of essential oils from four species of the genus Achillea growing in Kazakhstan

The component composition of the four species Achillea filipendulina, A. sudetica, A. ledebourii, and A. cartilaginea was studied by GC-MS. It was found that the principal components of the essential oil (%) were santolina alcohol (29.1) and borneol (27.9) for A. filipendulina, linalool (11.8) and caryophyllene (8.9) for A. sudetica, germacrene D (20.55) for A. ledebourii, and α-thujone (26.15) and β-thujone (11.76) for A. cartilaginea. The chemical composition of the essential oils from A. sudetica, A. ledebourii, and A. cartilaginea was studied for the first time. __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 243–245, May–June, 2006.     

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oils of Satureja thymbra growing wild in Libya

The composition of essential oil isolated from Satureja thymbra, growing wild in Libya, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The essential oil was characterized by γ-terpinene (39.23%), thymol (25.16%), p-cymene (7.17%) and carvacrol (4.18%) as the major constituents. Antioxidant activity was analyzed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. It possessed strong antioxidant activity (IC50 = 0.0967 mg/mL). The essential oil was also screened for its antimicrobial activity against eight bacterial and eight fungal species, showing excellent antimicrobial activity against the microorganisms used, in particular against the fungi. The oil of S. thymbra showed bacteriostatic activity at 0.001-0.1 mg/mL and was bactericidal at 0.002-0.2 mg/mL; fungistatic effects at 0.001-0.025 mg/mL and fungicidal effects at 0.001-0.1 mg/mL. The main constituents thymol, carvacrol and γ-terpinene also showed strong antimicrobial activity. The commercial fungicide bifonazole showed much lower antifungal activity than the tested oil.     

Comparison of antibacterial activity of natural and hydroformylated essential oil of Thymus capitatus growing wild in north Sardinia with commercial Thymus essential oils

Thymus capitatus growing wild in Sardinia showed different essential oil composition if grown surrounding Cagliari than in north Sardinia. Here we verify the composition and antimicrobial activity of the oil to make it suitable for the cosmetic and confectionery industries. With the aim of improving the scent and the antimicrobical activity of T. capitatus essential oil, a hydroformylation reaction was carried out to transform the unsaturated components of the oil into the corresponding aldehydes. The essential oil of T. capitatus exhibited a significant antibacterial activity (MIC 0.125-0.5 mg/mL), and was also found effective on C. albicans (MIC 0.125 mg/mL). After hydroformylation, several new irregular terpenoid aldehydes were detected. The perfume of the new terpenic-like aldehydes is very agreeable and, therefore, the acceptability of the aroma is remarkably improved, but the antimicrobial activity was not increased.     

Composition,antibacterial, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of essential oils from three Origanum species growing wild in Lebanon and Greece

The essential oils from Origanum dictamnus, Origanum libanoticum and Origanum microphyllum were analysed by GC-MS, finding carvacrol, p-cymene, linalool, γ-terpinene and terpinen-4-ol as major components. The antioxidant activity by the DPPH and FRAP tests and the antiproliferative activity against two human cancer cell lines, LoVo and HepG2, were investigated, showing that the essential oil of O. dictamnus was statistically the most inhibitory on both the cell lines, while all the oils exerted a weak antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the samples were tested against 10 Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria; all the oils were active on Gram-positive bacteria but O. dictamnus essential oil was the most effective (MIC = 25–50 μg/mL), showing also a good activity against the Gram-negative Escherichia coli (MIC = 50 μg/mL). Data suggest that these essential oils and particularly O. dictamnus oil could be used as valuable new flavours with functional properties for food or nutraceutical products.     

Composition of the essential oils and antibacterial activities of Hymenocrater yazdianus, Stachys obtusicrena and Nepeta asterotricha three Labiatae herbs growing wild in Iran

Water-distilled essential oils from leaves of Hymenocrater yazdianus Rech.f., flowers of Stachys obtusicrena Boiss., and stems and flowers of Nepeta asterotricha Rech.f., which are endemic to Iran, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Fifty-five components of the leaf oil of H. yazdianus were characterized, representing 95.1% of the total components detected. The major constituents were identified as 1,8-cineole (17.6%), beta-caryophyllene (13.9%), alpha-pinene (10.6%) and caryophyllene oxide (10.4%). Germacrene-D (37.5%) and alpha-bisabolol (23.5%) were the main components among the twenty constituents characterized in the flower oil of S. obtusicrena, representing 90.8% of the total components detected. Thirty-five compounds representing 93.0% of the stem oil of N. asterotrica were identified among which terpinen-4-ol (22.8%) and gamma-terpinene (14.1%) were the major ones. The flower oil of the species was characterized by higher amounts of terpinen-4-ol (24.8%), 4a alpha, 7a beta-nepetalactone (18.2%) and 1,8-cineole (11.6%) among the thirty-three components comprising 98.5% of the total oil detected. The antibacterial activity of the stem, leaf and flower oils of Hymenocrater yazdianus, Stachys obtusicrena and Nepeta asterotricha against seven Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were determined using the MIC method. The growth inhibitory zone (mm) was also measured.     

Chemical composition of the essential oils ofZiziphora growing under various ecological conditions

It has been established that, in spite of different ecological conditions of the growth of the endemic speciesZiziphora vychodceviana, Z. pedicellata, andZ. persica, they are characterized by identical biosyntheses of terpenoids and differ by the ratio of the main components of their essential oils. Institute of Chemical Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 727–729, November–December, 1994.     

Composition of essential oils from four Apiaceae and Asteraceae species growing in Uzbekistan

The chemical composition of essential oils isolated from the aerial parts of Heracleum lehmannianum, Prangos pabularia, Pseudohandelia umbellifera and Pulicaria salviifolia, all of them growing in Uzbekistan, were determined by GC-MS analysis. The main components of the oil from H. lehmannianum were α-phellandrene (10.5%), 1-butanol (9.0%), δ-cadinene (6.2%), α-cadinol (5.7%), τ-muurolol (3.1%), 4-terpineol (2.4%) and α-muurolene (2.6%), while cis-allo-ocimene (17.6%), δ-3-carene (14.2%), limonene (7.6%), 2,4,6-trimethylbenzaldehyde (6.8%), α-terpinolene (6.1%), β-ocimene (4.3%), α-ocimene (4.2%), α-phellandrene (4.2%) were the major oil components in P. pabularia, and borneol (4.4%), t-cadinol (4.1%), α-humulene oxide (4.0%), caryophyllene oxide (3.6%), bornyl chloride (3.1%), β-pinene (2.9%) in P. umbellifera. The essential oil of P. salviifolia had a much more complex composition which was dominated by 4-terpineol (13.4%), α-cadinol (5.7%), 6-epi-shyobunol (5.2%), γ-terpinene (5.0%), δ-cadinene (4.4%), α-terpinene (3.5%).     

The composition and antifungal bioassay of the essential oils of differentBetula species growing in Turkey

FiveBetula species,B. pendula, B. browicziana, B. medwediewii, B. litwinowii, andB. recurvata, were collected from different parts of Turkey. The leaves of these species were hydrodistilled to yield the consequent essential oils. The essential oil compositions were investigated by GC/MS. 14-Hydroxy--caryophyllene was the main constituent in the oil ofB. pendula. 14-Hydroxy-4,5-dihydro--caryophyllene, a new compound, was identified as the main constituent in the oils ofB. browicziana, B. litwinowii, and B. recurvata. In the oil ofB. medwediewii methyl salicylate was the main compound. Various phytopathogenic fungi were studied by the agar tube dilution technique to test the antifungal activities of the essential oils at 400 g/ml concentration. The essential oils showed strong antifungal activity againstCephalosporium aphidicola, Drechslera sorokinianse, Fusarium solani, andRhizoctonia cerealis.Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 126–130, March–April, 2000.     

Composition of the essential oils from Anthriscus cerefolium var. trichocarpa and A. caucalis growing wild in the urban area of Vienna (Austria)

The composition of the essential oil from the different above ground plant parts of Anthriscus cerefolium and A. caucalis collected in the urban area of Vienna has been studied. The essential oils of A. cerefolium were dominated by estragole (= methylchavicol) and 1-allyl-2,4-dimethoxybenzene, occurring in various proportions. The oils from young flowering plants had more estragole than 1-allyl-2,4-dimethoxybenzene. Fruits from one location reached 95% estragole in the essential oil. In A. caucalis, the main compound of all oils was cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (up to 74%) followed by cis-chrysanthenol (up to 16%). The fruit oils displayed a higher proportion of cis-chrysanthenyl acetate than the leaf or stem oils.     

Characterization of secondary metabolites of leaf and stem essential oils of Achillea fragrantissima from central region of Saudi Arabia

In this paper, a detailed study on chemical characterization of essential oils (EOs) constituents of leaves and stems of Achillea fragrantissima were carried out using GC-FID and GC–MS analysis employing two different stationary phase columns. In the studied plant which is collected from the central region of Saudi Arabia, trans-sabinyl acetate and trans-sabinol have been identified as the major components. To the best of our knowledge, these components are being reported for the first time as the major constituents in the EOs of A. fragrantissima. The results showed that chief chemical components of both (leaves and stems) oils were found to be almost same, however, their contents varied noticeably from each other. Among 108 identified components in the leaves oil, the major components were trans-sabinyl acetate (20.7 ± 0.00), trans-sabinol (14.9 ± 0.13), artemisia ketone (12.7 ± 0.46), santolina alcohol (10.1 ± 1.30), β-sesquiphellandrene (5.5 ± 0.01), β-thujone (5.1 ± 0.11). Whereas, in the stem oil 85 components were identified and trans-sabinyl acetate (24.0 ± 0.19), trans-sabinol (19.2 ± 0.01), artemisia ketone (16.3 ± 0.74), santolina alcohol (10.4 ± 1.50), and β-sesquiphellandrene (4.8 ± 0.01) were found to be the major components. Among the identified components form both oils, 23 components were specific to only leaves oil, whereas 85 components were found to be common in both oils.     

Chemical composition of the essential oils ofZiziphora growing under various ecological conditions

It has been established that, in spite of different ecological conditions of the growth of the endemic speciesZiziphora vychodceviana, Z. pedicellata, andZ. persica, they are characterized by identical biosyntheses of terpenoids and differ by the ratio of the main components of their essential oils.Institute of Chemical Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 727–729, November–December, 1994.     

Phytochemical analysis of the essential oil of Thymus serpyllum L. growing wild in Estonia

Variations in the essential oil composition of Thymus serpyllum L., growing wild in Estonia (33 samples) and in some other countries (Russia, Latvia and Armenia, seven samples) were determined. The oil were obtained from Estonia (46 samples) in yields 0.6-4.4 and 1.9-8.2 mL kg(-1) in other countries. The T. serpyllum herb grown in Estonia usually did not confirmed to the EP standard in the aspect of the essential oil contents (3.0 mL kg(-1)). Variations in the essential oil composition of wild thyme were studied using capillary gas chromatographic methods. A total of 94 components were identified. Thymol and carvacrol, mentioned in literature as principial components, are not the main components of the essential oil of wild thyme growing in Estonia. (E)-nerolidol, caryophyllene oxide, myrcene and borneol chemotypes of wild thyme drug are distinguishable. The chemical composition of samples from Russia, Latvia and Armenia is very variable.     

Antibacterial activity and GC/MS analysis of the essential oils from flower, leaf and stem of Origanum vulgare ssp. viride growing wild in north-west Iran

Essential oils obtained from flowers, leaves and stems of Origanum vulgare L. ssp. viride (Boiss.) Hayek., growing wild in Ardabil Province (north-west Iran), were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. beta-Caryophyllene was the major constituent in all three oils (48.1%, 50.1% and 60.2%, respectively). Of the 19 components detected in the flower oil, comprising 96.3% of the total, the major components were 1,8-cineole (11.6%), alpha-pinene (6.9%), and gamma-cadinene (4.8%). 1-Octen-3-ol (23.8%), and 1,8-cineole (8.5%) predominated in the leafoil. In the stem oil, other main constituents were bicyclogermacrene (9.8%), 1,8-cineole (6.4%), borneol (5.1%), and pinocarvone (4.4%). The essential oils were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against 10 selected microorganisms. The data obtained contribute to the future use of certain essential oils as natural preservatives for food products, due to their safety and positive effect on shelf life.     

Composition of the essential oil of wild growing Artemisia vulgaris from Erie, Pennsylvania

Essential oil from wild growing Artemisia vulgaris L. originating in Erie, Pennsylvania was obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of the plant. Gas chromatographic-mass spectral analysis was used to identify the major volatiles present. Up to 22 components were detected in the essential oils. Germacrene D (25%), Caryophyllene (20%), alpha-Zingiberene (15%) and Borneol (11%) represent the major components of leaf oil, while the buds were rich in 1,8-Cineole (32%), Camphor (16%), Borneol (9%), and Caryophyllene (5%). trans-2-Hexenal was also detected in the aerial parts of the plant. alpha-Zingiberene and trans-2-Hexenal have not been previously reported for Artemisia vulgaris L. The major analytes are compared to those from Artemisia vulgaris L, originating outside of the United States.     

Antimicrobial properties and chemical composition of liquid and gaseous phases of essential oils

The antimicrobial properties of fifteen essential oils (EOs) tested on seventeen microorganisms were determined using the vapour-agar contact method. The most effective EOs (i.e. Lavandula angustifolia, Cymbopogon nardus, Citrus aurantifolia, Juniperus communis, Myrtus communis and Cinnamomum zeylanicum), whose volatile components afforded the best antimicrobial properties, were selected for a detailed study of chemical composition. All these six EOs contained one to three main components that presented 67–91 mass % of total mass of a corresponding essential oil. The amount of other components was much lower (less than 5 mass %). The volatile components of Lavandula angustifolia exhibited the most effective antimicrobial properties because they completely inhibited the tested bacteria and fungi within 3 days and 1 week, respectively. The components of Lavandula angustifolia with the highest concentration in the gaseous phase were linalool (99.0 ppmv), eucalyptol (44.9 ppmv), linalyl acetate (25.9 ppmv), myrcene (22.2 ppmv), β-trans-ocimene (19.7 ppmv), camphor (16.7 ppmv) and limonene (14.9 ppmv).