Chemotypic Characterization and Biological Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis

Prabodh Satyal; Tyler H Jones; Elizabeth M Lopez; Robert L McFeeters; Nasser A Awadh Ali; Iman Mansi; Ali G Al-Kaf; William N Setzer

doi:10.3390/foods6030020

Chemotypic Characterization and Biological Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis

Foods. 2017 Mar 5;6(3):20. doi: 10.3390/foods6030020.

Authors

Prabodh Satyal^{1

2}, Tyler H Jones³, Elizabeth M Lopez⁴, Robert L McFeeters⁵, Nasser A Awadh Ali^{6

7}, Iman Mansi⁸, Ali G Al-Kaf⁹, William N Setzer¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Alchemy Aromatics LLC, 621 Park East Blvd., New Albany, IN 47150, USA. prabodhsatyal@gmail.com.
² Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA. prabodhsatyal@gmail.com.
³ Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA. tyler85@gmail.com.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA. eml0024@tigermail.auburn.edu.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA. robert.mcfeeters@uah.edu.
⁶ Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sana'a University, P.O. Box 18084, Sana'a, Yemen. alinasser9678@yahoo.com.
⁷ Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Clinical Pharmacy, Albaha University, P.O. Box 1988, Al Baha, Saudi Arabia. alinasser9678@yahoo.com.
⁸ Department of Clinical pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical sciences, The Hashemite University, P.O. Box 330127, Zarqa 13133, Jordan. man_mansi@hu.edu.jo.
⁹ Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sana'a University, P.O. Box 18084, Sana'a, Yemen. alialkaf21@gmail.com.
¹⁰ Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA. wsetzer@chemistry.uah.edu.

Abstract

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a popular herb in cooking, traditional healing, and aromatherapy. The essential oils of R. officinalis were obtained from plants growing in Victoria (Australia), Alabama (USA), Western Cape (South Africa), Kenya, Nepal, and Yemen. Chemical compositions of the rosemary oils were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as well as chiral gas chromatography. The oils were dominated by (+)-α-pinene (13.5%-37.7%), 1,8-cineole (16.1%-29.3%), (+)-verbenone (0.8%-16.9%), (-)-borneol (2.1%-6.9%), (-)-camphor (0.7%-7.0%), and racemic limonene (1.6%-4.4%). Hierarchical cluster analysis, based on the compositions of these essential oils in addition to 72 compositions reported in the literature, revealed at least five different chemotypes of rosemary oil. Antifungal, cytotoxicity, xanthine oxidase inhibitory, and tyrosinase inhibitory activity screenings were carried out, but showed only marginal activities.

Keywords: antifungal; chemical composition; chiral gas chromatography; cytotoxic; enantiomeric distribution; enzyme inhibition; essential oil; hierarchical cluster analysis; mass spectrometry.