Essential oil from the leaves of
Pistacia lentiscus L. growing in the Oran region in the west of Algeria was obtained by hydrodistillation with a 1.26 % yield on a dry weight basis. Spectrophotometric analyses were employed to highlight the scavenger capacity of this oil using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test. Twenty compounds were identified by GC and CG/MS analyses, and the main part of the compounds of the oil was terpinene-4-ol (41.24%) and
α-terpineol (7.31%),
α-pinene (9.48%), limonene (09.11%),
β-myrcene (10.5%),
p-cymene (8.67%) and
α-phellandrene (2.20%),
β-caryophyllene (12.62%) as major compounds. The DPPH test shows that
Pistacia lentiscus essential oil possesses antiradical activity. A linear correlation (correlation coefficient
R
2 = 0.995, P < 0.001) was found between the reduction of DPPH stable free radical and the concentration of
Pistacia lentiscus essential oil.
Pistacia lentiscus L. is an aromatic member of the Anacardiaceae family. In Algeria, P. lentiscus L. occurs in various regions, the aerial parts of P. lentiscus L. has traditionally been used against several diseases [1] . Mastic gum from Pistacia has been used by folkloric medicine for the relief of upper abdominal discomfort, stomachaches, dyspepsia and peptic ulcer [2] .
Several biological activities have been attributed to the essential oil from aerial parts of P. lentiscus L. such as their antifungal, antibacterial an antimicrobial effect [3] [4] [5] .
Some works reported the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of P. lentiscus L. of diverse countries of the Mediterranean region [6] - [20] . The chemi- cal composition of the essential oil derived from the aerial parts is not clear; it is greatly influenced by both geographical origin and isolation technique.
The aim of this work was to evaluate antioxidant activities of the essential oil from aerial parts of P. lentiscus L from the region of Oran (Algeria), in relation with the composition of their compounds.
2. Materials and Methods2.1. Plant Material
Leaves of Pistacia lentiscus of the region of Oran were collected in June 2015, during the period of full flowering. Voucher specimens were identified and deposited in the herbarium of the Agricultural Institute in Algeries, Algeria.
2.2. Isolation of the Essential Oil
The air-dried plant material (80 g), both leaves and flowers, was hydrodistilled in an all- glass apparatus according to the method recommended by the European Pharmacopoeia [21] . The essential oil obtained was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. Yield based on dry weight of the sample was 1.26%.
2.3. GC
Analytical GC was carried out on a Varian (Palo Alto, CA) model 3300 gas chromato- graph fitted with a fused silica MFE1 capillary column (50 m × 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.25 µm), with N2 as the carrier gas at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/minute, in split mode, with the temperature programmed to rise from 95˚C to 240˚C at 4˚C/minute. The injector temperature was 250˚C, the detector used was a flame ionization detector, and the detector temperature was 300˚C. Injection volume for all samples was 0.1 µl.
2.4. GC/MS
Analyses were carried out on an Agilent (Palo Alto) 6890 gas chromatograph fitted with a fused Agilent 19091S-433 HP-5MS column (30.0 m × 0.25 mm; film thickness 0.30 µm; temperature programmed from 40˚C to 280˚C at 4˚C/minute) with He as the carrier gas at a flow rate of 1 ml/minute. The chromatograph was coupled to an HP 5973 A mass spectrometer (Hewlett Packard, Palo Alto).
2.5. Identification of Components
Most constituents were identified by means of GC/MS. Some components were tentatively identified by comparing their retention indices on both chromatographic columns with those of authentic compounds and with literature data [22] [23] .
2.6. Antioxidant Test Free Radical Scavenging Activity (DPPH) Method
The antioxidant activity was measured by a modification of the DPPH radical scavenging method of Ramos et al. [24] Two hundred microliters of distilled water was mixed with 160 µL of DPPH (0.5 mM in ethanol), and then 40-L samples of the oil in ethanol (ranging from 2.50 to 20 µL/mL) were added. The mixture was shaken and left to stand at room temperature. The absorbance (A) was measured 30 minutes later at 517 nm.
The inhibition potential (IP) (as a percentage) is measured using the formula:
2.7. Statistical Analysis
All evaluations of antioxidant activity were performed twice. The experimental data were expressed as means ± standard deviation (S.D). The correlation coefficient of antioxidant activity was determined using Excel programme and Origin 6.
3. Results
Hydrodistillation of dried leaves of P. lentiscus yielded 1.26%. Twenty compounds, representing 97.63% of the oil, were identified. Results of the qualitative determination of the different constituents, together with those of the quantitative analysis are compiled in Table 1. The main compounds were oxygenated monoterpenes, characterized by the great prevalence of terpinene-4-ol (41.24%) and α-terpineol (7.31%), α-pinene (9.48%), limonene (09.11%), β-myrcene (10.5 %), p-cymene (8.67 %) and α-phel-land- rene (2.20%), β-caryophyllene (22.62%) as major compounds.
As shown in Figure 1, the P. lentiscus essential oil reduced the stable free radical DPPH in a concentration-dependent manner. The relationship between the antiradical activity and the concentration of Pistacia lentiscus essential oil (Figure 1) was positive and significant (R2 = 0.995, P <0.001).
The extract concentration producing 50% inhibition was calculated (Figure 1); it represents 0.39 mg/ml, corresponding to 0.05 mg/mL ascorbic acid (data not shown).
4. Discussion
These results show that Pistacia lentiscus is rich in oxygenated monoterpene.
To the best of our knowledge this work is therefore the first report on the essential oil of Pistacia lentiscus from Oran Algeria.
In other countries of the Mediterranean region, several studies have been studied the chemical composition of P. lentiscus L. oil [6] - [20] and several compositions were observed. Myrcene (39.2%), which is the major compounds of our essential oil, has also the abundant compound in the samples from Morocco (38%) [4] , France (76.9%) [6] , Spain (27%) [7] , Italy (25.2%) [8] and Algeria (23.0% - 33.1%) [9] .
On the other hand, α-pinene was the major compound of the essential oils from Morocco (16.1% - 38.5%) [10] , Algeria (20.0% - 34.2% and 19%) [9] [19] , Tunisia (16.8%) [11] , Greece (24.9% - 9.4%) [12] , Italy (14.8% - 22.6% and 18%) [13] [14] , Spain (13.0%) [15] and France (31.9%) [6] .
In our study terpinene-4-ol was by far the major component (41.24%) accompanied
Percentage of essential oil composition of P. lentiscus
Peak number
Compound
Kovats index
Percentage (%)
1
α-pinene
928
9.48
2
β-Myrcene
948
0.9
3
α-phellandrene
964
2.20
4
β-pinene
966
t
5
Cis-ocimene
976
t
6
Unknow
998
-
7
3-carene
1005
0.8
8
δ-Carene
1012
t
8
Limonene
1018
09.11
9
p-Cymene
1028
8.67
10
p-cymen-8-ol
1042
t
11
Terpinolene
1052
t
12
Linalool
1082
1.4
13
Verbenol
1122
0.7
14
Terpinene-4-ol
1137
41.24
15
Borneol
1138
0.8
16
α-terpineol
1174
7.31
17
2-Undecanone
1290
0.7
18
Isoledene
1419
0.9
19
Unknow
1458
-
20
β-caryophyllene
1494
12.62
22
Globulol
1530
0.8
Components are arranged in order of MFE1 elution, t: trace percentage (%) ≤ 0.6.
Positive correlation between the reduction of DPPH stable radical and the concentration of Pistacia lentiscus essential oil
by limonene (09.11%), β-myrcene (10.5 %) and β-caryophyllene (12.62%). it is worth noting that this oil is the richest source of naturally occurring terpinene-4-o that has been found.
Besides, terpinen-4-ol was mainly present in the oils from Morocco (14.5% - 19.3%) [10] , Algeria (17.3% - 34.7%) [16] , Turkey (30.0% and 29.2%) [17] [18] , and France (25.6%) [6] . Other chemotypes were also reported: longifolene (16.4% - 12.8% Algeria) [19] limonene (47.0% France and 44% - 29% Algeria) [6] [9] ; β-caryophellene (19.3% - 13.1% Algeria [9] and 31.5% Italy [20] .
The antioxidant activity of Pistacia lentiscus essential oil may provide a protective effect from oxidative stress-related diseases.
As a result, the antioxidant activity of the essential oil was generally ascribed to the terpenes.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, essential oil from Pistacia lentiscus and its components generally displayed strong antioxidant properties, which are useful in daily life in foods and as preventive agents against various diseases.
Cite this paper
Abdelkader, H., Nadia, K. and Salima, B. (2016) Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Potential of Pistacia lentiscus L. Essential Oil from Oran (Algeria). Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, 7, 539-544. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/abb.2016.712048
ReferencesRamos, A., Visozo, A., Piloto, J., Garcia, A. and Rodriguez, C.A. (2003) Screening of Antimutagenicity via Antioxidant Activity in Cuba Medicinal Plants. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 87, 241-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00156-9Adams, R.P. (2001) Identification of Essential Oil by Gas Chromatography/Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry. Allured, Carol Stream, IL.Ennings, W. and Shibamoto, T. (1980) Qualitative Analysis of Flavor and Fragance Volatiles by Capillary Gas Chromatography. Academic Press, New York.(2004) European Pharmacopoeia. Vol. 2, 5th Edition, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.Congiu, R., Falconieri, D., Marongiu B., Piras, A. and Porcedda, S. (2002) Extraction and Isolation of Pistacia lentiscus L. Essential Oil by Supercritical CO2. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 17, 239-244. https://doi.org/10.1002/ffj.1095Dob, T., Dahmane, D. and Chelghoum, C. (2006) Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Algeria. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 18, 335-338.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10412905.2006.9699105Kivak, B., Akay S., Demirci, B. and Baser, K.H.C. (2004) Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Leaves and Twigs of Pistacia lentiscus, Pistacia lentiscus var. chia and Pistacia terebinthus from Turkey. Pharmaceutical Biology, 42, 360-366.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13880200490519677Duru, M.E., Cakir, A., Kordali S., Zengin H., Harmandar, M., Izumi, S. and Hirata, T. (2003) Chemical Composition and Antifungal Properties of Essential Oils of Three Pistacia Species Grown in Turkey. Fitoterapia, 74, 170-176.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0367-326X(02)00318-0Benyoussef, E.H., Charchari, S., Nacer-Bey, N., Yahiaoui N., Chakou, A. and Bellatreche, M. (2005) The Essential Oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Algeria. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 17, 642-644. https://doi.org/10.1080/10412905.2005.9699021Fernandez, A., Camacho, A., Fernandez, C., Perez, P. and Altarejos, J. (2000) Composition of the Essential Oils from Galls and Aerial Parts of Pistacia lentiscus L. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 12, 19-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10412905.2000.9712031Lo Presti, M., Sciarrone, D., Crupi, M. L., Rosaria, C., Salvatore, R., Giovanni, D. and Luigi, M. (2008) Evaluation of the Volatile and Chiral Composition in Pistacia lentiscus L. Essential Oil. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 20, 32-38.Barra, A., Coroneo, V., Dessi, S., Cabras, P. and Angioni, A. (2007) Characterization of the Volatile Constituents in the Essential Oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Different Origins and Its Antifungal and Antioxidant Activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 55, 7093-7098. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf071129wChryssavgi, G., Vassiliki, P., Athanasios, M., Kibouris, Th. and Michael, K. (2008) Essential Oil Composition of Pistacia lentiscus L. and Myrtus communis L.: Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacity of Methanolic Extracts. Food Chemistry, 107, 1120-1130.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.09.036Ben Douissa, F., Hayder, N., Chekir-Ghedira, L., Hammami, M., Ghedira, K. and Mariotte Dijoux-Franca, A.-M. (2005) New Study of the Essential Oil from Leaves of Pistacia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae) from Tunisia. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 20, 410-414.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ffj.1445Zrira, S., Elamrani, A. and Benjilali, B. (2003) Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Morocco—A Seasonal Variation. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 18, 475-480. https://doi.org/10.1002/ffj.1221Mecherara-Idjeri, S., Hassani, A., Castola, V. and Casanova, J. (2008) Composition and Chemical Variability of the Essential Oil from Pistacia lentiscus L. Growing Wild in Algeria Part 1: Leaf Oil. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 20, 32-38.Calabro, G. and Curro, P. (1974) Costituenti degli oli essenziali Nota IV. Essenza di lentisco. Essenz Derive. Agrumes, 44, 82-92.Boelens, M.H. and Jimenez, R. (1991) Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil from the Gum and Various Parts of Pistacia lentiscus L. (Mastic Gum Tree). Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 6, 271-275. https://doi.org/10.1002/ffj.2730060406Castola, V., Bighelli, A. and Casanova, J. (2000) Intraspecic Chemical Variability of the Essential Oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Corsica. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 28, 79-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-1978(99)00038-1Bonsignore, L., Cottiglia, F. and Loy, G. (1998) Antimicrobial Activity of Pistacia lentiscus Aerial Part. Fitoterapia, 69, 537-538.Lamiri, A., Lahloui, S., Benjilali, B. and Berrada, M. (2001) Insecticidal Effects of Essential Oils against Hessian Fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say). Field Crops Research, 71, 9-15.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4290(01)00139-3Barra, A., Coroneo, V., Dessi, S., Cabras, P. and Angioni, A. (2007) Characterization of the Volatile Constituents in the Essential oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Different Origins and Its Antifungal and Antioxidant Activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 55, 7093-7098. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf071129wAl-Habbal, M.J., Al-Habbal, Z. and Huwez, F.U. (1984) A Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial of Mastic and Placebo in the Treatment of Duodenal Ulcer. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, 11, 541-544.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1681.1984.tb00864.xBentley, R.Y. and Trimen, H. (1980) Medicinal Plants. J. and A Churchill, London, 68.