Essential oils of four Rwandese hepatoprotective herbs: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and antioxidant activities

Marie-Jeanne Mukazayire; Jean C Tomani; Caroline Stévigny; Jean C Chalchat; Filomena Conforti; Francesco Menichini; Pierre Duez

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.05.016

Essential oils of four Rwandese hepatoprotective herbs: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and antioxidant activities

Food Chem. 2011 Dec 1;129(3):753-60. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.05.016. Epub 2011 May 8.

Authors

Marie-Jeanne Mukazayire¹, Jean C Tomani², Caroline Stévigny³, Jean C Chalchat⁴, Filomena Conforti⁵, Francesco Menichini⁵, Pierre Duez⁶

Affiliations

¹ Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Bromatology and Human Nutrition, CP 205/9, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium; Institute of Research Science and Technology (IRST), Center of Research in Phytomedecine and Life Science, B.P. 227 Butare, Rwanda. Electronic address: pduez@ulb.ac.be.
² Institute of Research Science and Technology (IRST), Center of Research in Phytomedecine and Life Science, B.P. 227 Butare, Rwanda.
³ Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Bromatology and Human Nutrition, CP 205/9, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
⁴ Laboratory of Photochemistry Molecular and Macromolecular, Chemistry of Essential Oils, Blaise Pascal Clermont University, 63177 Aubière Cédex, France.
⁵ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Calabria, Italy.
⁶ Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Bromatology and Human Nutrition, CP 205/9, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium; Université de Mons (UMONS), Service of Therapeutic Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Bât. Mendeleiev, Av. Maistriau, 7000 Mons, Belgium.

PMID: 25212295
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.05.016

Abstract

Following an ethnobotanical survey in Southern Rwanda for hepatoprotective remedies, four food and medicinal plants, Crassocephalum vitellinum, Guizotia scabra, Microglossa pyrifolia and Ocimum lamiifolium, were selected for pharmacological and chemical investigations aiming to validate their reported properties. The chemical compositions of essential oils obtained from leaves were investigated by GC-MS; essential oils and methanolic extracts were evaluated for antioxidant activity by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) and linoleic acid peroxidation assays. C. vitellinum [limonene (34.8%), (E)-β-ocimene (21.8%), β-pinene (8.5%), α-pinene (6.6%), myrcene (6.3%)], G. scabra [germacrene-d (25.5%), limonene (9.7%), (E)-β-ocimene (6.6%)], M. pyrifolia [germacrene-d (58.3%)] and O. lamiifolium [sabinene (12.2%), alpha phellandrene (11.6%)] volatile oils scavenge DPPH (10%, 39%, 27%, and 11% quercetin equivalents) and inhibit linoleic acid peroxidation (13%, 23%, 20%, and 13% Trolox® equivalents). The four methanolic extracts were quite active on the lipid peroxidation model (93%, 93%, 70%, and 67% Trolox equivalents) with modest activity on DPPH (5%, 10%, 8%, and 11% quercetin equivalents). These properties most probably participate in the four plants hepatoprotective activities reported in ethnopharmacological and/or pharmacological studies.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Asteraceae; Chemical composition; Crassocephalum vitellinum; Essential oils; Guizotia scabra; Lamiaceae; Microglossa pyrifolia; Ocimum lamiifolium.