The study of the volatile oils composition obtained from vegetative and generative organs of ballota nigra l.

Abstract

The article presents the data of the pharmacognostic study of the aerial part of black horehound (Ballota nigra L.). The aim of the work is to determine the qualitative composition and the quantitative content of the volatile components from vegetative and generative organs of black horehound. Leaves, flowers and stems of black horehound were harvested at the flowering phase in the Kharkiv region. For the first time volatile compounds of black horehound aerial parts have been investigated by GC/MS. The component composition of volatile substances in horehound herb has been studied using an Agilent Technologies 6890N chromatograph with a mass spectrometry detector 5973N. The components have been identified according to mass spectra NIST 05 and WILEY 2007 libraries together with the programmes for identifying AMDIS and NIST. In vegetative and generative organs of horehound 48 components have been identified. Germaсrenе D (40.2 mg/kg), hexahydrofarnesylacetone (167.42 mg/kg), 2,6-trimethyl-4-methylene-2H-pyran (172.3 mg/kg), myristic (271 3 mg/kg), pentadecanoic (182.1 mg/kg), palmitoleic (306.4 mg/kg) and palmitic (1620.6 mg/kg) acids prevail in vegetative organs. Farnesylacetone (68.8 mg/kg), verbenone (35.7 mg/kg), myristic (187.5 mg/kg), palmitic acid (656.5 mg/kg) and palmitoleic (196.9 mg/kg) acids are the major components in generative organs. Therefore, hexahydrofarnesylacetone, palmitic and palmitoleic acids, and 2,6-trimethyl-4-methylene-2H-pyran are predominant components in the raw material studied. Black horehound (Ballota nigra, Lamiaceae family) is a perennial herb, widely spread in Russia, Ukraine, in the countries of Western Europe, North Africa and the Caucasus [2]. The plant is not officinal, but is used in folk medicine as a sedative. In the aerial part of black horehound such diterpenoids as marrubin, ballonigrin, ballotinone, ballotenol, 7-acetoxymarrubin have been studied. The glycoside forms of phenylpropanoids – verbascoside, phorsitoside, arenarioside, ballotetroside, allisonoside, lavandulifolioside, angoroside and the nonglycoside forms – (+)-(E)-coffeyl-L-malic acid have been found [3, 7, 9, 10]. Recent studies have determined that biologically active substances (BAS) of black horehound possess nootropic, anti-oxidant, anti-arrhythmic, anti-microbial and antihypoxia activities [2, 4-6, 8]. Therefore, expedience of the comprehensive study of BAS of black horehound is an urgent question for pharmacy. Earlier studies have shown the presence of flavo noids, tannins, iridoids, essential oil, hydroxycinnamic acid and phenol carboxylic acids in flowers (calyx, co rollas), stems and leaves of black horehound [1].