Chemical Compositions and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils from Inflorescences of Two Landraces of Hyssop [Hyssopus officinalis L. subsp. angustifolius (Bieb.)] Cultivated in Southwestern, Iran

Abstract

Hyssop [Hyssopus officinalis L. subsp. angustifolius (Bieb.)] belonging to the family Lamiaceae, is an important medicinal and aromatic plant in Iranian folk medicine. The herb grows wildly in the alpine regions from northwestern to southwestern of Iran. A GC-FID and GC/MS analysis of essential oils isolated from the inflorescences of two Iranian landraces of this herb including white and purple flowers identified 25, and 22 constituents, respectively (accounting for 98 % of the total oils). The essential oil yields were 0.40 and 0.45 ml/100 g based on the dry weight of plant material for white and purple flowers, respectively. The major constituents of the essential oil from purple landrace were cis-pinocamphone (55.14 %), β-pinene (17.06 %), and trans-pinocamphone (3.50 %). However, camphor (31.85 %), cis-pinocamphone (30.11%), β-pinene (12.26 %), and trans-pinocamphone (6.09 %) were the main compositions of the essential oil from white landrace of hyssop. Antioxidant activity of the essential oils was determined by DPPH assay and the essential oils of both landraces showed moderate antioxidant activity. This potential applicability can be used as antioxidant agents for food and pharmaceutical industries. The essential oils of the two studied hyssop landraces sourced in the alpine region of southwestern Iran were rich in oxygenated monoterpenes. Generally, the herb proved to be relatively good sources of chemical products and medicinal compounds such as camphor, pinocamphone and β-pinene that are widely used in food and drug industries.