Identification of essential oil components of Marrubium thessalum Boiss. & Heldr., growing wild in Greece

The essential oil of the Greek endemic species Marrubium thessalum Boiss. & Heldr. (Lamiaceae) was obtained by the hydrodistillation of its aerial parts during the flowering stage. The composition of the oil was analysed by GC and GC-MS. Thirty compounds were identified. The oil was devoid of monoterpenes, while sesquiterpenes constituted the major fraction. The main components of the oil were caryophyllene oxide (21.7%), β-caryophyllene (17.6%), germacrene D (15.3%), β-bisabolene (12.6%) and trans-β-farnesene (8.1%).     

Composition of the essential oil of Stachys benthamiana Boiss. from the south of Iran

The chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) obtained from the aerial parts of Stachys benthamiana Boiss. was analysed by using GC and GC/MS. Thirty-three components were identified in the oil. β-Bisabolene (19.2%), humulene epoxide II (10.7%), epi-α-bisabolol (7.2%), (E)-γ-bisabolene (6.9%), n-decanal (6.8%) and caryophyllene oxide (6.6%), were the main compounds in the EOs. This is the first report on the different chemical compositions of S. benthamiana EOs from the south of Iran.     

Chemical composition of the essential oil from the flowering aerial parts of Bupleurum hamiltonii Balak from Uttarakhand, India

The essential oil from the flowering aerial parts of Bupleurum hamiltonii Balak syn. Bupleurum tenue family Apiaceae (Umbellifereae) was obtained by steam distillation and analysed by a combination of GC (RI) and GC-MS. The chemical composition of the isolated oil is reported here for the first time. Twenty-seven compounds were identified, which represent 92.7% of the total oil. The chemical composition of the isolated oil was characterised by a high proportion of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (61.9%), among which germacrene-D (17.8%), trans-β-farnesene (14.7%) and β-caryophyllene (13.1%) were the predominant compounds. The monoterpene hydrocarbons (16.6%) represented the second major fraction of the same oil followed by the oxygenated sesquiterpenes (7.9%).     

Leaf essential oil of Manekia naranjoana (Piperaceae) from Costa Rica and its cytotoxic activity

The chemical composition of the leaf oil of Manekia naranjoana (C. DC.) Callejas (Piperaceae) from Costa Rica was analyzed by capillary GC/FID and GC/MS. Fifty-five compounds were identified. Major compounds from the leaf oil were beta-pinene (30.6%), alpha-pinene (18.8%), limonene (13.7%), and beta-caryophyllene (6.1%). The oil presented very low toxicity to tumor and non-tumor cell lines, even though it contains components, such as alpha- and beta-pinene, limonene and others, which have been shown to be cytotoxic. This is the first report of the chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from this species.     

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.     

A study on the seasonal variation of the essential oil composition from Plectranthus hadiensis and its antibacterial activity

The chemical composition and seasonal variation of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Plectranthus hadiensis grown during the rainy and summer seasons in the Western Ghats of India was analysed by GC–MS technique. The analysis of rainy season oil led to the identification of 31 compounds, representing 96.4% of the essential oil and the winter season oil led to 25 compounds, representing 95.1% of the oil. Most of the compounds were sesquiterpenes and oxygenated monoterpenes. The major components of the rainy season oil were L-fenchone (30.42%), β-farnesene (11.87%), copaene(11.10%), 2,3-dimethyl hydroquinone (10.78%), α-caryophyllene(8.41%) and piperitone oxide (3.94%) and of the summer season oil are L-fenchone (31.55%), copaene(11.93%), β-farnesene (10.45%), 1,8-naphthalenedione, 8a-ethylperhydro (10.06%), α-caryophyllene(6.36%), piperitone oxide (5.79%) and limonene(4.63%). Antibacterial activity of the essential oil of P. hadiensis was tested using zone of inhibition and minimum inhibition concentration methods. Both the oils inhibited the organisms and showed the zone of inhibition in the range of 20–35 mm with MIC values between 32 and 64 mg/dL.     

α-Pinene- and β-myrcene-rich volatile fruit oil of Cupressus arizonica Greene from northwest Iran

Cupressus arizonica Greene is an aromatic evergreen coniferous plant with great importance in urban horticulture and in the pharmaceutical and fragrance industries. The hydrodistilled volatile fruit oil of cultivated C. arizonica from northwest Iran was analysed by GC/MS. Forty-three components were identified, accounting for 96.4% of the total oil. Monoterpenoids (91.9%) dominated the identified components of the essential oil, followed by a lesser portion of sesquiterpenoids (4.2%). Monoterpene hydrocarbons (87.9%) were the principal subclass of components, with α-pinene (54.3%), β-myrcene (11.1%), δ-3-carene (6.5%) and limonene (6%) as main constituents. β-Pinene (4%), terpinolene (2.8%) and camphene (1.1%) were the other monoterpenoids present in notable amounts. α-Terpineol (1.4%) was the only representative of the oxygen-containing monoterpenoids. Sesquiterpenoids had a minor share in the volatile oil's composition. Hydrocarbonic compounds (91.1%) had a higher share compared to the oxygenated components (5%). Comparison of the essential oil profile of C. arizonica Greene plants cultivated in Iran showed remarkable quantitative but slight qualitative differences with previous reports from other parts of the world. In summary, the chemical and percentage composition of the studied oil from cultivated C. arizonica Greene from northwest Iran was characterised by a high occurrence of α-pinene and β-myrcene, and is thus competent for use in related industries and as a favourite ornamental aromatic tree.     

Chemical composition of the essential oil from the leaves of Anaxagorea brevipes (Annonaceae) and evaluation of its bioactivity

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from leaves of Anaxagorea brevipes was analysed by gas chromatography fitted with a flame ionisation detector (GC–FID) and coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Thirty one components were identified, representing around 75.7% of total oil. The major components were β-eudesmol (13.16%), α-eudesmol (13.05%), γ-eudesmol (7.54%), guaiol (5.12%), caryophyllene oxide (4.18%) and β-bisabolene (4.10%). The essential oil showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and yeast with the MIC values between 25.0 and 100 μg/mL. The highest antiproliferative activity was observed for the oil against MCF-7 (breast, TGI = 12.8 μg/mL), NCI-H460 (lung, TGI = 13.0 μg/mL) and PC-3 (prostate, TGI = 9.6 μg/mL) cell lines, while against no cancer cell line HaCat (keratinocyte) the TGI was 38.8 μg/mL. The oil exhibited a small antioxidant activity assessed through ORAC-FL assay (517 μmol TE/g). This is the first report regarding the chemical composition and bioactivity of A. brevipes essential oil.     

Essential oil composition of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Santolina etrusca</Emphasis> from Italy

The essential oil composition of aerial parts of Santolina etrusca Marchi & D’Amato from Italy was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Twenty-nine compounds of oil were identified representing 97.1% of the oil. The most abundant compounds were viridiflorol (17.9%), terpinen-4-ol (14.4%), myrcene (11.8%), β-pinene (9.9%), and cis-muurola-4(14),5-diene (9.9%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the GC/MS determination of the essential oil composition of S. etrusca. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 38–39, January–February, 2007.     

Volatile constituents of Senecio pterophorus (African daisy) DC. from South Africa

The hydrodistilled essential oils of the leaves of Senecio pterophorus collected from three different localities in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa have been analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Thirteen - eighteen compounds were identified, accounting for over 98% of the total oil composition. The major components of the oils were limonene (10.3 - 32.3%), myrcene (14.4-19.7%), sabinene (13.0-18.0%), alpha-phellandrene (3.4-16.9%) and p-cymene (15.6-16.7%).     

Composition of the essential oil of rootstock from Cimicifuga simplex

The composition of the essential oils from rootstock of Cimicifuga simplex has been investigated by capillary GC and GC/MS. The main components in essential oil were m-acetanisole (27.57%), (E)-cinnamaldehyde (6.84%), paeonol (5.58%), caproic acid (5.07%) and atractylone (3.10%). The oil was characterized by a high content of aromatic components (52.59%).     

Evaluation of the chemical composition of Brazilian commercial Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) stapf samples

The concentration and the chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from different samples of Cymbopogon citratus were evaluated. Among the 12 samples investigated (11 dried leaf samples and fresh plant leaves), seven presented essential oil concentrations within the threshold established by the Brazilian legislation. The moisture content was also determined and the majority of the samples presented humidity contents near 12%. The GC and GC/MS analyses of the essential oils led to identification of 22 compounds, with neral and geranial as the two major components. The total percentage of these two compounds varied within the investigated sample oils from 40.7% to 75.4%. In addition, a considerable variation in the chemical composition of the analyzed samples was observed. The process of grinding the leaves significantly decreased (by up to 68%) the essential oil content, as well as the percentage of myrcene in the oils.     

Chemical composition and insecticidal activity against Sitophilus zeamais of the essential oils derived from Artemisia giraldii and Artemisia subdigitata

The aim of this research was to determine the chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oils derived from flowering aerial parts of Artemisia giraldii Pamp. and A. subdigitata Mattf. (Family: Asteraceae) against the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.). Essential oils of aerial parts of A. giraldii and A. subdigitata were obtained from hydrodistillation and investigated by GC and GC-MS. A total of 48 and 33 components of the essential oils of A. giraldii and A. subdigitata were identified, respectively. The principal compounds in A. giraldii essential oil were β-pinene (13.18%), iso-elemicin (10.08%), germacrene D (5.68%), 4-terpineol (5.43%) and (Z)-β-ocimene (5.06%). 1,8-Cineole (12.26%) and α-curcumene (10.77%) were the two main components of the essential oil of A. subdigitata, followed by β-pinene (7.38%), borneol (6.23%) and eugenol (5.87%). The essential oils of A. giraldii and A. subdigitata possessed fumigant toxicity against the maize weevils with LC50 values of 6.29 and 17.01 mg/L air, respectively. The two essential oils of A. giraldii and A. subdigitata also exhibited contact toxicity against S. zeamais adults with LD50 values of 40.51 and 76.34 μg/adult, respectively. The results indicated that the two essential oils show potential in terms of fumigant and contact toxicity against grain storage insects.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil of (Tunisian) Chrysanthemum trifurcatum (Desf.) Batt. and Trab. flowerheads

The chemical composition of essential oil isolated from the flowerheads of Chrysanthemum trifurcatum (Desf.) Batt. and Trab. var. macrocephalum (viv.) Beg. (Asteraceae) by hydrodistillation was analysed by GC and GC/MS. A total of 56 compounds representing 97.48% of the oil were identified: limonene (20.89%), γ-terpinene (19.13%), 1,8-cineole (10.64%), β-pinene (8.77%), α-pinene (5.32%), 2-hexenal (4.85%), 4-terpenyl acetate (3.42%), β-myrcene (2.31%), germacrene-B (2.01%), β-spathulenol (1.62%), longifolene (1.39%), α-cadinol (1.39%), α-thujene (1.23%) and β-bourbobene (1.06%) were found to be the major components. Essential oil of flowerheads of C. trifurcatum was tested for antibacterial activity against eight strains, using a microdilution method, and for cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 using a neutral red incorporation method. The oil showed a great potential of antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis, in the inhibition range of 64–66% and IC₅₀ ranging from 62.5 to 125 μg/ml. On Vero cells, the CC₅₀ of the oil was 735.9 μg/ml and it did not exhibit a significant antiviral activity.     

Essential oil composition of aerial parts of Cyclospermum leptophyllum (Pers.) Sprague ex Britton and P. Wilson

The essential oil of Cyclospermum leptophyllum (Pers.) Sprague ex Britton and P. Wilson syn. Apium leptophyllum (Pers.) F. Muell. Ex Benth., family Apiaceae (Umbellifereae), was analysed by GC and GC-MS. The essential oil showed the presence of thymohydroquinone dimethyl ether (50.7%), thymol methyl ether (11.2%), γ-terpinene (10.4%), p-cymene (9.5%) and carvacrol methyl ether (5.9%), along with trans-ocimene, β-pinene, germacrene D, cumin aldehyde, α-humulene, β-myrcene, sabinene, limonene, β-phellandrene, caryophyllene oxide, α-pinene and α-thujene as minor constituents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the essential oil composition of C. leptophyllum collected from India.     

Chemical composition of essential oil from Jordanian Lupinus varius L.

The chemical composition of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from flowering shoots of Lupinus varius L. was analyzed by GC–FID and GC–MS. Chemical analysis of this oil showed that it includes a complex mixture of aldehydes, alcohols, esters and mono- and sesquiterpenes. Forty one compounds were characterized in the oil. The major components of the oil were 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone (20.5%), pentadecanal (10.2%), (E) nerolidol (8.43%), carracol ethyl ether (4.3%), α-humulene (3.6%), (2Z,13E)-ocatadeca-2,13-dien-l0-ol (3.2%) and caryophyllene-5-ol (2.7%).     

Composition and antioxidant activity of Senecio nudicaulis Wall. ex DC. (Asteraceae): a medicinal plant growing wild in Himachal Pradesh,India

The composition of essential oil isolated from Senecio nudicaulis Wall. ex DC. growing wild in Himachal Pradesh, India, was analysed, for the first time, by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry. A total of 30 components representing 95.3% of the total oil were identified. The essential oil was characterised by a high content of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (54.97%) with caryophyllene oxide (24.99%) as the major component. Other significant constituents were humulene epoxide-II (21.25%), α-humulene (18.75%), β-caryophyllene (9.67%), epi-α-cadinol (2.90%), epi-α-muurolol (2.03%), β-cedrene (1.76%), longiborneol (1.76%), 1-tridecene (1.16%) and citronellol (1.13%). The oil was screened for antioxidant activity using DPPH, ABTS and nitric oxide-scavenging assay. The oil was found to exhibit significant antioxidant activity by scavenging DPPH, ABTS and nitric oxide radicals with IC₅₀ values of 10.61 ± 0.14 μg mL^? 1, 11.85 ± 0.28 μg mL^? 1 and 11.29 ± 0.42 μg mL^? 1, respectively.     

Analysis of the essential oil of Teucrium polium ssp. capitatum from the Balkan Peninsula

The chemical composition of the essential oil of the aerial parts of Teucrium polium ssp. capitatum collected during the flowering period from rocky places and dry pastures, (Serbia, Nis, Kamenica), and dunes along the sea-side, (Bulgaria, Burgas, Primorsko) has been studied by GC and GC/MS. The identified compounds, 45 for the oil from Serbia and 44 for that from Bulgaria, amounted to 97.3% and 96.4% of the oils, respectively. The dominant constituents of the Serbian oil were sesquiterpenes {59.6%, the most abundant components being germacrene D (31.8%), trans-caryophyllene (8.8%) and bicyclogermacrene (6.2%)}, while monoterpenes accounted for 37.5% {the most abundant components being linalool (14.0%) and beta-pinene (10.7%)}. The essential oil from Bulgaria was characterized by a high percentage of monoterpenes, amounting to 62.9% {the most abundant components being beta-pinene (26.8%), alpha-pinene (9.3%) and limonene (6.4%)}, while sesquiterpenes accounted for 33.5% (the most abundant component was germacrene D 17.7%)}.     

Seasonal variations of volatile constituents of Hemizygia bracteosa (Benth.) Briq. aerial parts from Benin

Essential oils from fresh aerial parts of Hemizygia bracteosa (Benth.) Briq. were extracted by steam distillation. The oil yield from plants collected during the hot season (February) and during the cold season (August) were 0.12 ± 0.01% and 0.25 ± 0.02%, respectively. GC/FID and GC/MS analyses allowed us to identify a total of 65 compounds, representing 97% of the hydrodistillate. The main components of the oil from the hot period were (E)-β-farnesene (64 ± 0.04%), β-elemene (7.4 ± 0.05%), trans-nerolidol (6.2 ± 0.04%), and α-muurolene (2.7 ± 0.03%). The essential oil from the cold season was characterized by the presence, as major compounds, of (E)-β-farnesene (67 ± 0.04%) along with β-caryophyllene (3.6 ± 0.06%), β-elemene (3.3 ± 0.05%), 7-epi-α-selinene (3.1 ± 0.01%) and p-cymene (2.5 ± 0.04%). This is the first report of these components in the essential oil of Hemizygia bracteosa (Benth.) Briq.     

Determination of the chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant activities of essential oil and methanol extracts of Echinophora platyloba DC

This study was designed to examine the chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant activity of essential oil and methanol extracts of Echinophora platyloba from Iran. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC/MS (mass spectrometry; MS) analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 29 compounds, which comprised 97.4% of the oil. The main constituents were found to be: (Z)-β-ocimene (26.7%), Δ-3-carene (16.2%) and limonene (6.6%). Antioxidant activities of the essential oil and the methanolic extracts from E. platyloba were evaluated using three different test systems, namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching and reducing power assays. In the DPPH system, the highest radical-scavenging activity was shown by the polar sub-fraction of methanol extract (71.2 ± 1.11 μg mL(-1)). Also in the second case, the relative inhibition capacity (%) of the essential oil (68.0 ± 1.14%) was found to be the stronger one. In addition, the amounts of total phenol components in the polar sub-fractions of methanolic extract (67.5 ± 0.48 μg mg(-1)), nonpolar sub-fractions of methanol extract (35.3 ± 0.12) and the oil (83.3 ± 0.24 μg mg(-1)) were determined.