title: A forgotten vegetable (Smyrnium olusatrum L., Apiaceae) as a rich source of isofuranodiene.
abstract: Smyrnium olusatrum, well known as wild celery or Alexanders, is a biennial herb belonging to the Apiaceae and used for many centuries as an edible vegetable because of the aromatic flavour of its parts. Its use on the table has decreased since the Middle Ages when it was replaced by common celery (Apium graveolens). In the present work the composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of various plant parts was investigated by gas chromatography (GC-FID and GC-MS), while quantitation of a heat-sensitive compound, isofuranodiene, known for its anticancer activity, and of its Cope rearrangement product curzerene, was achieved by HPLC-DAD. All essential oils were composed mainly of furanosesquiterpenoids (54.1-76.2%) with isofuranodiene (19.5-45.8%) as the main constituent. Results showed that GC analysis provides underestimation (up to five times) of isofuranodiene levels in essential oils and that curzerene could be considered an artifact since it is produced during heating of plant material, occurring during hydrodistillation.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Italy. filippo.maggi@unicam.it
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maggi
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barboni
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Papa
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caprioli
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricciutelli
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sagratini
authors.forename: Sauro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vittori
mesh_terms: D019661:Apiaceae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005663:Furans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005663:Furans; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts; C017897:isofuranodiene