Abstract
In this study, the essential oils (EOs) of six Algerian plants (Artemisia campestris L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Juniperus phoenicea L., Juniperus oxycedrus L., Mentha pulegium L. and Lavandula officinalis Chaix) were obtained by hydrodistillation, and their compositions determined by GC-MS and GC-FID. The antioxidant activity of the EOS was evaluated via 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays. Moreover, their cytotoxic effect was evaluated—as well as their tyrosinase, acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase (AChE and BuChE) inhibitory activities. The chemical analyses detected 44, 45, 51, 53, 26 and 40 compounds in EOs of A. campestris, A. herba-alba, J. phoenicea, J. oxycedrus, M. pulegium and L. officinalis, respectively. A. campestris EO was mainly composed of β-pinene (20.7%), while A. herba-alba EO contained davanone D (49.5%) as the main component. α-Pinene (41.8%) was detected as the major constituent in both J. phoenicea (41.8%) and J. oxycedrus (37.8%) EOs. M. pulegium EO was characterized by pulegone as the most abundant (76.9%) compound, while linalool (35.8%) was detected as a major constituent in L. officinalis EO. The antioxidant power evaluation revealed IC50 values ranging from 2.61 to 91.25 mg/mL for DPPH scavenging activity, while the FRAP values ranged from 0.97–8.17 µmol Trolox equivalents (TX)/g sample. In the ABTS assay, the values ranged from 7.01 to 2.40 µmol TX/g sample. In the presence of 1 mg/mL of the samples, tyrosinase inhibition rates ranged from 11.35% to 39.65%, AChE inhibition rates ranged from 40.57% to 73.60% and BuChE inhibition rates ranged from 6.47% to 72.03%. A significant cytotoxic effect was found for A. herba-alba EO. The obtained results support some of the traditional uses of these species in food preservation and for protection against several diseases.
Highlights
Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of volatile compounds biosynthesized by plants in response to environmental and ecological needs [1]
The hydrodistillation was performed in triplicate: the average yields (w/w) of extraction were 0.52%, 0.54%, 0.4%, 0.19%, 0.91% and 2.80%, respectively for Artemisia campestris, Artemisia herba-alba, Juniperus phoenicea, Juniperus oxycedrus, Mentha pulegium and Lavandula officinalis
Among the essential oils (EOs) studied in the present work, of all extracted from plants belonging to the Algerian flora, the highest antioxidant activity was evidenced for A. herba-alba and M. pulegium in both the DPPH and ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, while A. campestris showed the highest antioxidant power in the ABTS test
Summary
Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of volatile compounds biosynthesized by plants in response to environmental and ecological needs [1]. EOs have been used since ancient times in the treatment of various ailments and health disorders. They have been extensively investigated for their important biologic applications, such as antimicrobial [2], antioxidant [3], antiproliferative [4], antimalarial and trypanocidal [5] and antitumoral [6]. Among the most useful EO applications, their use as antioxidant agents is highly investigated, since the phenomenon known as oxidative stress is the root of several health problems, like inflammations, cancer, neurodegeneration and cardiovascular diseases. The reduction in acetylcholine (ACh) levels in the hippocampus and cortex of the brain is a common biochemical change detected in AD patients. The starting point for the treatment of AD is the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), both responsible for the hydrolysis of ACh in the cholinergic synapse [12,13,14,15,16,17]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
