Volatile constituents of two species of Protium from the Atlantic rainforest in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil

The chemical composition of the essential oils from Protium giganteum and P. aracouchine was determined, for the first time, using GC-MS analysis. From the oil of P. giganteum, 32 components were identified, representing 93.9% of the oil, and from P. aracouchine, 29 components, representing 97.8% of the oil. Among the compounds identified in the P. giganteum oil, 93.6% were sesquiterpenes, with beta-caryophyllene (26.0 +/- 0.8%), globulol (9.3 +/- 0.2%), alpha-cadinol (7.0 +/- 0.5%), alpha-humulene (6.4 +/- 0.1%) and germacrene D (6.2 +/- 0.3%) as the major components. Among the 29 compounds identified in the P. aracouchine oil, 95.9% were sesquiterpenes as well, with spathulenol (31.8 +/- 1.6%), alpha-cis-bergamotene (8.8 +/- 0.2%) and viridiflorol (9.7 +/- 0.7%) as the major components.     

Chemical composition of the essential oil of aerial parts of Haussknechtia elymaitica Boiss. from Iran: a good natural source for trans-asaron

The chemical composition of the essential oil of Haussknechtia elymaitica Boiss. was investigated by capillary GC and GC/MS for the first time. Twelve components were identified which accounting for 99.7% of the oil composition. The major compounds were trans-asarone (59.9%), trans-methyl isoeugenol (22.4%), α-zingiberene (7.96%), β-sesquiphellandrene (4.7%) and β-bisabolene (4.3%). The first three compounds considered as the main components of the essential oil were isolated and characterised by spectroscopic techniques.     

Chemical constituents and antioxidant and biological activities of the essential oil from leaves of Solanum spirale

The essential oil of the leaves Solanium spirale Roxb. was isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed for the first time using GC and GC-MS. Thirty-nine constituents were identified, constituting 73.36% of the total chromatographical oil components. (E)-Phytol (48.10%), n-hexadecanoic acid (7.34%), beta-selinene (3.67%), alpha-selinene (2.74%), octadecanoic acid (2.12%) and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (2.00%) were the major components of this oil. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated by using the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay. The oil exhibited week antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 41.89 mg/mL. The essential oil showed significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus with MIC values of 43.0 microg/mL and 21.5 microg/mL, respectively. It also showed significant cytotoxicity against KB (oral cancer), MCF-7 (breast cancer) and NCI-H187 (small cell lung cancer) with the IC50 values of 26.42, 19.69, and 24.02 microg/mL, respectively.     

Comparative study of composition and biological activities of SDE prepared essential oils from flowers and fruits of two Hypericum species from central Iran

Essential oil (EO) compositions of flowers and fruits of Hypericum perforatum L. and Hypericum scabrum L. growing wild in Kashan, central Iran, were determined by simultaneous steam distillation-solvent extraction method and analysed using GC-MS technique. Analysis revealed 28 identified compounds for H. perforatum, with two main components being α-pinene (25.36%) and α-amorphene (12.12%). Thirty-five compounds were identified in H. scabrum L. representing 98.60% of the oil with α-pinene (70.21%) and p-mentha-1,5-dien-8-ol (2.89%) as main components. Some new compounds were found in significant quantities which were not found in other chemotypes. The antioxidant activities of the EOs evaluated for the first time in this study using β-carotene bleaching and DPPH assays seemed to be attributed directly to α-pinene contents in them. Antibacterial activities of both mentioned EOs were higher than that of their main constituent, α-pinene, against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.     

Identification of aroma active compounds in orange essence oil using gas chromatography-olfactometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Using GC-MS and GC-flame ionization detection (FID)/olfactometry, 95 volatile components were detected in orange essence oil, of which 55 were aroma active. In terms of FID peak area the most abundant compounds were: limonene, 94.5%; myrcene, 1%; valencene, 0.8%; linalool, 0.7%, and octanal, decanal, and ethyl butyrate, 0.3% each. One hundred percent of the aroma activity was generated by slightly more than 4% of the total volatiles. The most intense aromas were produced by octanal, wine lactone, linalool, decanal, beta-ionone, citronellal, and beta-sinensal. Potent aroma components reported for the first time in orange essence oil include: E-2-octenal, 1-octen-3-ol, Z-4-decenal, E,E-2,4-nonadienal, guaiacol, gamma-octalactone, and m-cresol. Over 20 compounds were identified for the first time in orange essence oil using MS, however, most did not exhibit aroma activity.     

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil of aerial parts of Petasites albus from Iran: a good natural source of euparin

The chemical composition of the essential oil of Petasites albus (known as 'Baba Adam' in Iran) was investigated by capillary gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the first time. Twenty components were identified, accounting for 99.7% of the oil composition. The major compounds were euparin (73%), α-eudesmol (13.2%) and β-selinene (4.5%). Euparin, the main component of the essential oil, was isolated and characterised by spectroscopic techniques. The antioxidant activities of the essential oil and euparin were evaluated by using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay and are shown to exhibit a moderate antioxidant activity.     

Chemical Constituents of the Essential Oil of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nepeta oxyodonta</Emphasis>

Water-distilled essential oil from the aerial parts of Nepeta oxyodonta Boiss. was analyzed by GC/MS for the first time. Fifty-eight components were identified. The major components were (E)-caryophyllene (12.6%), spathulenol (8.5%), β-bourbonene (8.1%), germacrene-D (7.4%), α-cadinol (7.3%), germacrene-D-4-ol (6.8%), T-cadinol (5.6%), and caryophyllene oxide (5.3%).__________Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 141–142, March–April, 2005.     

Development of a method for analysis of Iranian damask rose oil: combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with Chemometric techniques

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with Chemometric resolution techniques were proposed as a method for the analysis of volatile components of Iranian damask rose oil. The essential oil of damask rose was extracted using hydrodistillation method and analyzed with GC-MS in optimized conditions. A total of 70 components were identified using similarity searches between mass spectra and MS database. This number was extended to 95 components with concentrations higher than 0.01% accounting for 94.75% of the total relative content using Chemometric techniques. For the first time in this work, an approach based upon subspace comparison is used for determination of the chemical rank of GC-MS data. The peak clusters were resolved using heuristic evolving latent projection (HELP) and multivariate curve resolution-alternating least square (MCR-ALS) by applying proper constraints, and the combination of both methods for some cases. It is concluded that a thorough analysis of the complex mixtures such as Iranian damask rose requires sophisticated GC-MS coupled with the Chemometric techniques.     

Chemometrics-assisted gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of volatile components of olive leaf oil

Iranian olive leaf essential oil components were extracted by microwave-assisted hydrodistillation and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Ninety-seven components were identified by direct similarity searches for olive leaf essential oil. Chemometrics was used to find more components with the help of multivariate curve resolution methods. Eigenvalues-based methods and Malinowski functions were used for chemical rank determination of GC–MS data. Multivariate curve resolution-alternative least squares as an iterative method was used for resolving the overlapped and embedded peaks. With the use of this method the number of 97 components was extended to 127 components. Major constituents in the olive leaf essential oil are 2-decenal-(E) (20.43 %), benzeneacetaldehyde (4.00 %), 2-undecenal (3.71 %) and valencen (3.31 %).     

气相色谱/质谱法分析曼陀罗果实挥发油的化学成分

用水蒸汽蒸馏法从曼陀罗果实中提取挥发油,并用气相色谱/质谱(GC/MS)联用技术对其化学成分进行分离和结构鉴定,用峰面积归一化法确定各成分的相对含量。结果确定了68种化合物,占挥发油总量的82.83%,其主要成分为6-戊基-5,6-二氢化吡喃-2-酮(9.13%)、3,7,11,15-四甲基-2-十六碳烯-1-醇(6.71%)、二苯酮(6.16%)和1-己醇(6.10%)等。     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Sagittaria trifolia

The essential oil of Sagittaria trifolia, a well-known famous medicinal foodstuff in China, was analyzed for the first time using GC-MS. Twenty-eight constituents were identified. The major components of the oil were hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (62.3%), tetramethylhexadecenone (5.8%), myristaldehyde (4.7%), n-pentadecane (2.9%), and 2-hexyldecanol (2.9%).The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was evaluated against seven microorganisms, including two clinically isolated strains and five reference strains, using microbiological cylinder plate assay and broth microdilution methods. The results showed that the oil had a significant antimicrobial effect on four of them. This antimicrobial activity can partly explain why the oil is used medicinally during childbirth and for skin diseases in Chinese traditional medicine. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 419–420, September–October, 2006.     

Hydrodistillation-headspace solvent microextraction, a new method for analysis of the essential oil components of Lavandula angustifolia Mill

A new method involving concurrent headspace solvent microextraction combined with continuous hydrodistillation (HD-HSME) for the extraction and pre-concentration of the essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. into a microdrop is developed. A microdrop of n-hexadecane containing n-heptadecane (as internal standard) extruded from the needle tip of a gas chromatographic syringe was inserted into the headspace above the plant sample. After extraction for an optimized time, the microdrop was retracted into the syringe and injected directly into a GC injection port. The effects of the type of extracting solvent, sample mass, microdrop volume and extraction time on HD-HSME efficiency were investigated and optimized. Using this method, thirty-six compounds were extracted and identified. Linalool (32.8%), linalyl acetate (17.6%), lavandulyl acetate (15.9%), alpha-terpineol (6.7%) and geranyl acetate (5.0%) were found to be the major constituents. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the use of continuous headspace solvent microextraction coupled with hydrodistillation for investigation of essential oil components.     

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil from Pyrrosia tonkinensis (Giesenhagen) Ching

The present study aimed to analyse the chemical components of the essential oil from Pyrrosia tonkinensis by GC-MS and evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity. Twenty-eight compounds, representing 88.1% of the total essential oil, were identified and the major volatile components were trans-2-hexenal (22.1%), followed by nonanal (12.8%), limonene (9.6%), phytol (8.4%), 1-hexanol (3.8%), 2-furancarboxaldehyde (3.5%) and heptanal (3.1%). The antibacterial assays showed that the essential oil of P. tonkinensis had good antibacterial activities against all the tested microorganisms. This paper first reported the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil from P. tonkinensis.     

Analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the essential oils from the aerial parts of Rutheopsis herbanica (Bolle) Hans. & Kunk., gathered in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands)

The essential oil from the aerial parts of Rutheopsis herbanica (Bolle) Hans. & Kunk., growing in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain, was studied by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 42 constituents were identified. The major components were found to be alpha-pinene (29.4%), dillapiole (21.3%), limonene (14.1%), beta-pinene (13.2%) and myristicin (10.0%). As far as we know, this is the first report on the essential oil composition of this species.     

Essential oil and lipids from the cone berries ofJuniperus seravschanica

Essential oil and neutral lipids from the cone berries ofJuniperus seravschanica Kom. have been characterized for the first time. Fifty six components comprising 96.5% of the essential oil were identified; a-pinene (29.0%), -myrcene (17.9%), germacrene B (5.9%), and cedrol (3.1%) dominated; 5 classes of neutral lipids were found with a high content of the fatty acids 22:2 (10,13), 22:1 (13), and 18:2 (9,12).Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, 445–448, July–August, 1999.     

Essential oil from aerial parts of of Betonica grandiflora Willd. from Iran

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of Betonica grandiflora Willd., growing wild in Iran, was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the first time. Overall, 40 volatile components were identified on the basis of their mass spectra characteristics and retention indices in which ledol (21.8%), myrtenyl acetate (21.7%), eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol (6.5%), trans-caryophyllene (5.5%), α-bisabolol (4.9%) and isolongifolol (4.5%) were the major constituents. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes, monoterpene hydrocarbons and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were the main groups of compounds with 45.6%, 23.1% and 18.4%, respectively. The oil was moderately active against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus and inactive against Enterococcus faecalis and Klebsiella pneumoniae.     

Comparative analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the essential oils from bark and leaves of Cedrelopsis grevei Baill, an aromatic and medicinal plant from Madagascar

The essential oils from bark and leaves of Cedrelopsis grevei Baill (Ptaeroxylaceae), an aromatic and medicinal plant from Madagascar, are widely used in folk medicine. These two commercially available oils have been examined separately by means of GC-MS. The oil constituents were identified according to their mass spectra and their relative retention indices determined on both polar and non-polar stationary phase capillary columns. A total of 55 compounds have been identified constituting 76.7% (bark) and 91.6% (leaves) of the volatile constituents. Both oils were found to have a similar composition; however the relative percentages of some compounds notably differed. The bark essential oil contained beta-pinene (17.1%), cis-sesquisabinene hydrate (12.8%) and caryophyllene oxide (7.0%) as the main components whereas the leaf essential oil was largely dominated by trans-beta-farnesene (35.6%); beta-pinene (12.8%), cis-sesquisabinene hydrate (9.8%) and ar-curcumene (8.6%) were also present as major components. As far as we know, this is the first report on the Cedrelopsis grevei bark and leaf essential oils which therapeutic properties may be attractive for aromatherapy.     

HRGC and GC–MS analysis of essential oil from colombian ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata Hook fil. et Thomson,forma genuina)

Samples of essential oil from Colombian ylang-ylang trees were analyzed by means of HRGC, HRGC–MS, IR and ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. 57 components were detected, 51 of which were positively identified. Camphene and anethol were identified in ylang-ylang essential oil for the first time. Among the composition-determining variables studied (extraction time, part of the flower, and flower freshness), the extraction time and the flower condition (fresh versus dry) were found to have the largest incidence in the quality of the essential oil.     

Chemical composition and antiproliferative activity of Croton campestris A.St.-Hil. essential oil

Herein, the antiproliferative potential of the essential oil obtained from fresh leaves of Croton campestris against human tumour cell lines was investigated for the first time. Furthermore, the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation had the composition determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Ten major components were identified that comprised 91.59% of the total content, with 23.8% consisting of (Z)-caryophyllene and 16.08% consisting of γ-elemene as main components. The cytotoxic activity was observed mainly for breast (MCF-7) and colon (HT-29) human tumour cell lines, with GI₅₀ (50% growth inhibition) concentration of 8.61 and 9.94 μg/mL, respectively. The results of this study showed that the essential oil obtained from Croton campestris A.St.-Hil. represents a potential source for the search of new antitumour agents.