Abstract
Cupressus sempervirens L., Juniperus communis L. and Cistus ladanifer L. are Mediterranean arboreal and shrub species that possess essential oils (EO) in their leaves and branches. This study aimed at characterizing the EOs obtained by steam distillation from the three species collected in different locations from Spain (Almazán, Andévalo, Barriomartín, Cerezal, Ermitas and Huéscar). For this purpose, volatiles composition was determined by GC-MS, and different bioactivities were evaluated. The highest content in terpenes was observed in C. sempervirens (Huéscar origin) followed by J. communis (Almazán origin), corresponding to 92% and 91.9% of total compounds, respectively. With exception of C. ladanifer from Cerezal that presented viridiflorol as the most abundant compound, all the three species presented in common the α-pinene as the major compound. The EOs from C. ladanifer showed high antibacterial potential, presenting MIC values from 0.3 to 1.25 mg/mL. Concerning other bioactivities, C. ladanifer EO revealed an oxidation inhibition of 83%, while J. communis showed cytotoxicity in the MCF-7 cell line, and C. sempervirens and C. ladanifer EOs exhibited the highest potential on NCI-H460 cell lines. Nevertheless, some EOs revealed toxicity against non-tumoral cells but generally presented a GI50 value higher than that of the tumor cell lines.
Highlights
The need to change from a fossil-based economy to bio-based systems has been discussed
The obtained results suggest that the collection of these species in different geographical locations interfere with the essential oil’s yield and respective chemical composition, which can vary in terms of individual compounds’ contents, resulting in different chemotypes
Compared with other parts of the plant, in literature, the crown biomass is qualitatively similar in terpenes profile, when taking into consideration the composition specified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and/or the European Pharmacopoeia for the branches and leaves of C. sempervirens and J. communis berries
Summary
The need to change from a fossil-based economy to bio-based systems has been discussed. It has been pushing the industry to transition towards a green, sustainable and circular economy, improving energy efficiency by using renewable raw materials [1,2] In this sense, the use of lignocellulosic biomass, which represents 89.3% of the total biomass, is being explored as a potential substrate to obtain compounds of interest, such as bioactive molecules, through an integrated biorefinery approach. The majority of the shrubs belonging to the Cupressaceae and Cistaceae families can be found all over the Mediterranean region and have the capacity of growing in open areas with deficient soils and harsh environments [5] They are intensely aromatic plants due to the high content of essential oils (EOs) in their twigs and leaves [6]. The genus Cupressus and Juniperus (Cupressaceae) and Cistus (Cistaceae) are widespread include some species, such as Cupressus sempervirens L., Cistus ladanifer L. and Juniperus communis L., being their extracts or EOs used for many years in traditional medicine [7]
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