Composition of the essential oil of Cedrus brevifolia needles Evaluation of its antimicrobial and antioxidant activities

Abstract

The chemical composition of the previously unknown essential oil of Cedrus brevifolia A. Henry ex Elves & A. Henry (Pinaceae) has been studied. The essential oil of the needles was obtained by hydrodistillation and was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Identification of the substances was made by comparison of mass spectra and retention indices with literature data. A total of 49 different compounds were identified. The main components were α-pinene (56.8%) and limonene (7.8%). The essential oil and its main constituents were evaluated against Gram-positive/-negative bacteria and fungi and revealed strong antimicrobial activity. In addition, their inhibitory potencies on lipid peroxidation, lipoxygenase activity and their interaction with 1,1-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity are discussed. The essential oil presented moderate antioxidant activity, while α-pinene interacted significantly with DPPH free radicals and limonene inhibited the lipid peroxidation, but both in high concentrations (1 mM).