Abstract
Background: The objective of
this study was to analyze the essential oil, fatty acid, flavonoid, phenolic
compounds and in vitro antioxidant activity of oil from Feverfew (Tanacetum
parthenium L.) wild grown and collected from north of Iran.
Methods: The essential
oil of aerial parts was analyzed by spectroscopy method (GC/MS using HP-5MS
column) while the fatty acid content was analyzed by gas chromatography
(GC/FID). Phenolic contents of the oil were evaluated using high performance
liquid chromatography (HPLC/UV) technique while total phenols and flavonoids
were determined colorimetrically. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the
essential oil was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2 picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical
scavenging technique.
Results: In the
essential oil thirteen compounds were characterized with camphor (43.97 %),
chrysanthenyl acetate (12.46 %) and farnesol (7.54%) as the major components.
Principal fatty acid components of the herb were palmitic acid (57.27%) and
myristic acid (14.7%). HPLC analysis revealed that the cinnamic acid
derivatives were the major compounds, with sinapic (3.86 ± 0.1 mg/g dw) and
ferulic (2.59 ± 0.1 mg/g dw) acids being the predominant ones. Also,
evaluation the bioactivity of the oil showed considerable antioxidant capacity (TPC = 152.8 ± 0.8 mg/g and DPPH = 73.8 ± 1.3 %).
Conclusion: This study
revealed that the essential oil was rich in camphor/chrysanthenyl acetate
chemotype and different polyphenols in the category of hydroxycinnamic acid
derivatives. In addition, this research demonstrated that
the aerial parts of this aromatic herb were various sources of oily components, especially essential
fatty acids.