Essential Oil Composition and Bioactivity of Two Juniper Species from Bulgaria and Slovakia.

Valtcho D Zheljazkov,Charles L Cantrell,Tzenka Radoukova,Miroslava Kačániová,Ivayla Dincheva,Albena Stoyanova,Ivanka Semerdjieva,Vasilina Maneva,Ivan Salamon,Daniela Borisova,Tess Astatkie

doi:10.3390/molecules26123659

Abstract

Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb and J. sabina L. contain essential oil (EO), while J. sabina also contains podophyllotoxin, which is used as a precursor for anti-cancer drugs. Two studies were conducted. The first assessed the variability in the EO profile and podophyllotoxin concentration of the two junipers, depending on the location and tree gender. The main EO constituents of J. excelsa were α-cedrol, α-limonene and α-pinene, while the constituents in J. sabina were sabinene, terpinen-4-ol, myrtenyl acetate and α-cadinol. The podophyllotoxin yield of 18 J. sabina accessions was 0.07–0.32% (w/w), but this was not found in any of the J. excelsa accessions. The second study assessed the effect of hydrodistillation (Clevenger apparatus) and steam distillation (in a semi-commercial apparatus) on the EO profile and bioactivity. The extraction type did not significantly alter the EO composition. The EO profiles of the two junipers and their accessions were different and may be of interest to the industry utilizing juniper leaf EO. Breeding and selection programs could be developed with the two junipers (protected species) in order to identify chemotypes with (1) a high EO content and desirable composition, and (2) a high concentration of podophyllotoxin in J. sabina. Such chemotypes could be established as agricultural crops for the commercial production of podophyllotoxin and EO.

Highlights

Juniper (Juniperus L.) species are some of the most widely distributed plants on the planet [1,2]
The Essential Oil (EO) yield of both junipers varied among different accessions, from 0.60% to 1.87% in J. excelsa and from 1.38% to 2.73% in J. sabina, suggesting significant variability occurring within a population (Table 2)
These results demonstrated that high- yielding EO accessions of the two junipers could be identified and selected from the natural populations for the potential commercial production of EO

Summary

Introduction

Juniper (Juniperus L.) species are some of the most widely distributed plants on the planet [1,2]. Most junipers are characterized by high ecological plasticity and inhabit diverse areas at various latitudes and altitudes [1]. Junipers are important for a number of wildlife species, especially in arid regions; they are very widely used as ornamentals and as a source for natural plant products [3]. Most junipers contain essential oil (EO) with a specific aroma, while some contain podophyllotoxin [1,4], among other non-volatile compounds. The EO of some juniper species extracted from leaves, wood, or berries (galbuli) is used as a major aromatic agent in numerous consumer products [5,6]

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Discussion

Conclusion