Abies Concolor Seeds and Cones as New Source of Essential Oils-Composition and Biological Activity.

Anna Wajs-Bonikowska,Anna Wiktorowska-Owczarek,Monika Sienkiewicz,Łukasz Szoka,Ewa Karna

doi:10.3390/molecules22111880

Abstract

The chemical composition, including the enantiomeric excess of the main terpenes, of essential oils from seeds and cones of Abies concolor was studied by chromatographic (GC) and spectroscopic methods (mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance), leading to the determination of 98 compounds. Essential oils were mainly composed of monoterpene hydrocarbons. The dominant volatiles of seed essential oil were: limonene (47 g/100 g, almost pure levorotary form) and α-pinene (40 g/100 g), while α-pinene (58 g/100 g), sabinene (11 g/100 g), and β-pinene (4.5 g/100 g) were the predominant components of the cone oil. The seed and cone essential oils exhibited mild antibacterial activity, and the MIC ranged from 26 to 30 μL/mL against all of the tested bacterial standard strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The cytotoxic studies have demonstrated that tested essential oils were cytotoxic to human skin fibroblasts and human microvascular endothelial cells at concentrations much lower than the MIC. The essential oils from A. concolor seeds and cones had no toxic effect on human skin fibroblasts and human microvascular endothelial cells, when added to the cells at a low concentration (0–0.075 μL/mL) and (0–1.0 μL/mL), respectively, and cultured for 24 h.

Highlights

Abies concolor, commonly known as the white fir, is a species native to the mountains of westernNorth America (Sierra Nevada Mountains of southern Oregon and California, as well the southernRocky Mountains)
Seed oil was characterized by very attractive forestry, resinous, fresh, citrus-like scent, opposite to less attractive, resinous, soil-like scent of cone oil, caused inter alia, probably by a bigger amount of high boiling volatiles, like the diterpenes that are detected in cone oil
The main terpene group detected in both seed and cone essential oils were monoterpene hydrocarbons, constituting 93 g/100 g and 79 g/100 g, respectively, like in the

Summary

Introduction

Commonly known as the white fir, is a species native to the mountains of westernNorth America (Sierra Nevada Mountains of southern Oregon and California, as well the southernRocky Mountains). Commonly known as the white fir, is a species native to the mountains of western. Variation between the two regions of A. concolor is sufficient to commonly recognize two varieties, i.e., var. The Rocky Mountain form of Concolor fir is suited for planting in other northern hemisphere regions [1,2]. White fir was discovered by William Lobb on his expedition to California in the middle of the 19th century. This tree naturally occurs at elevations of 900–3400 m and grows to 25–60 m tall

Objectives

Results

Conclusion