Abstract
Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench (sandy everlasting) is the only species from genus Helichrysum Mill that grows spontaneously in Lithuania. The chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) from inflorescences and leaves of H. arenarium wild plants was analysed by GC-MS. Palmitic (≤23.8%), myristic (≤14.9%) and lauric (6.1%) acids, n-nonanal (10.4%), and trans-β-caryophyllene (≤6.5%) were the major constituents in the EOs. For comparison, the main components in EO from flowers (commercial herb material) of H. italicum were γ-curcumene (21.5%), β-selinene (13.6%), α-selinene (8.1%), β-eudesmol (8.3%), and α-pinene (6.5%). Composition of H. arenarium methanolic extracts was investigated by HPLC-DAD-TOF. The main compounds were the following: luteolin-7-O-glucoside, naringenin and its glucoside, apigenin, chlorogenic acid, arenol, and arzanol. Antioxidant activity of EOs and extracts was tested by DPPH● and ABTS●+ assays. Sandy everlasting extracts exhibited significantly higher radical scavenging activities (for leaves 11.18 to 19.13 and for inflorescences 1.96 to 6.13 mmol/L TROLOX equivalent) compared to those of all tested EOs (0.25 to 0.46 mmol/L TROLOX equivalent). Antioxidant activity, assayed electrochemically by cyclic and square wave voltammetry correlated with total polyphenolic content in extracts and radical scavenging properties of EOs and extracts. The toxic activity of EOs of both Helichrysum species was evaluated using a brine shrimp (Artemia salina) bioassay. H. italicum inflorescence EO was found to be toxic (LC50 = 15.99 µg/mL) as well as that of H. arenarium (LC50 ≤ 23.42 µg/mL) oils.
Highlights
Among 53 identified constituents, aliphatic acids—palmitic, myristic, and lauric—were determined as the major constituents in H. arenarium inflorescence oil (Table 1)
It should be mentioned that the number of investigations on sandy everlasting essential oils (EOs) from Lithuania is limited [80,81,82], and the results obtained in this study differed from those of previously analysed EOs
The oils isolated from inflorescences of different six colors of 11 H. arenarium accessions, originating from wild populations in Lithuania and propagated by clone sprouts and grown in a field collection in the Botanical Garden (Vilnius), were found to be rather different [81]. β-Caryophyllene (≤8.8%), δ-cadinene
Summary
Stoechadina, tribe Gnaphalieae) containing approximately 600 species is distributed throughout the entire world. The Helichrysum species have been used in many folk medicines, as flavouring spices or as food supplements, and for ornamental, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical purposes as well. Don is a typical endemic Mediterranean species, subdivided into several subspecies, such as italicum; michrophyllum (Willd.) Nyman; picardii (Boiss & Reuter).
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