Abstract
Matricaria chamomilla L. is a popular medicinal herb that is used for healing various diseases and is widely distributed worldwide in temperate climate zones, and even in the subtropical climate of Southern and Western Iran. This study was aimed at comparing the volatile oil constituents, along with antiradical potential and HPLC analysis of methanolic extracts from twelve plant samples growing in Iran. The present research was carried out for the first time on these populations. Among seventeen identified volatile chemicals evaluated by GC/MS and GC/FID, representing 92.73–97.71% of the total oils, α-bisabolone oxide A (45.64–65.41%) was the major constituent, except in case of “Sarableh” as a new chemotype, where (E)- and (Z)-γ-bisabolene (42.76 and 40.08%, respectively) were the predominant components. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes (53.31–74.52%) were the most abundant compounds in the samples excluding “Sarableh” with 91.3% sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. “Sarableh” also exerted the most potent antioxidant capacity with EC50 = 7.76 ± 0.3 µg/mL and 6.51 ± 0.63 mmol TE (Trolox® equivalents)/g. In addition, populations “Lali” and “Bagh Malek” contained the highest amounts of apigenin and luteolin with 1.19 ± 0.01 mg/g and 2.20 ± 0.0 mg/g of plant material, respectively. Our findings depict a clear correlation between phytochemical profiles and antiradical potential of M. chamomilla and geographical factors.
Highlights
essential oil (EO) compounds of the selected Matricaria chamomilla L. samples, which corroborates previous reports
Α-bisabolone oxide A was previously identified from M. chamomilla by different groups; for instance, the EO, diethyl ether and dichloromethane fractions of EO contained α-bisabolone oxide A, with 47.7, 57.7 and 50.5%, respectively [8]; whereas the EO of an Estonian M. chamomilla sample was characterized by high bisabolone oxide A content (13.9%) [2]
According to our preliminary study, the chemo-diversity and antiradical potential of twelve studied Matricaria chamomilla populations were highly affected by a variety of ecological conditions
Summary
German chamomile), belonging to the Asteraceae family, is one of the well-known medicinal plant species which has been widely used for centuries. The herb is currently consumed around the world as herbal tea, with more than 1 million cups daily [1,2]. M. chamomilla is used in the treatment of many ailments and disorders; internally to facilitate digestion and as antispasmodic, externally to treat minor wounds. Its use spreads from the relief of various pains such as headaches and toothaches to the facilitation of menstruation [3]. Chamomile essential oil (EO) has been commonly applied in Iranian folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, anti-peptic ulcer, antibacterial and antifungal agent [4,5]
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