Essential oil from fruits and roots of Ferulago campestris (Besser) Grecescu (Apiaceae): composition and antioxidant and anti‐Candida activity

Abstract

AbstractEssential oil from fruits and roots of Ferulago campestris (Apiaceae) growing in central Italy was analysed by GC–FID and GC–MS for composition and by agar diffusion and microdilution methods for antibacterial and anti‐Candida activity. The antioxidant activities were also investigated by 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging, β‐carotene/linoleic acid assay, scavenging of hydrogen peroxide (HRPO test), and hypochlorous acid scavenging (taurine test). High yields of essential oils (5.7–7.1%) were obtained by hydrodistillation from fruits, making these exploitable in the flavour and fragrance industry. Monoterpene hydrocarbons constituted the main fraction of both fruits (78.8–80.3%) and roots (67.2–81.4%), with myrcene (33.4–39.7%), α‐pinene (22.7–23.0%) and γ‐terpinene (8.1–10.9%) as the major components of fruits, and α‐pinene (58.3–75.0%) as the predominant compound in the oil from roots collected in summer. (2,3,6)‐Trimethyl benzaldehyde was an aromatic volatile detected in significant percentages (8.6–9.0% in fruits, 14.8–27.9% in roots collected in summer, 65.2% in roots collected in autumn) in both oils. The antioxidant activity was related as IC50 to Trolox or BHT; <2 ml oils had an activity equivalent to 1 mg Trolox in the DPPH radical‐scavenging, and about 1 ml oils could be compared with 1 mg Trolox or BHT in the β‐carotene/linoleic acid assay, HRPO and taurine tests. The essential oils from the roots were more active than those from fruits against the microorganisms tested, owing to the abundance of α‐pinene, a monoterpene hydrocarbon with known antimicrobial potency. In particular, it showed strong inhibition on clinically isolated Candida strains, namely C. albicans (MIC values of 39–78 μg/ml), C. tropicalis and C. glabrata (MIC values of 78 μg/ml). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.