title: Biomolecular characterization of wild sicilian oregano: phytochemical screening of essential oils and extracts, and evaluation of their antioxidant activities.
abstract: An extensive survey of wild Sicilian oregano was made. A total of 57 samples were collected from various sites, followed by taxonomic characterization from an agronomic perspective. Based on morphological and production characteristics obtained from the 57 samples, cluster analysis was used to divide the samples into homogeneous groups, to identify the best biotypes. All samples were analyzed for their phytochemical content, applying a cascade-extraction protocol and hydrodistillation, to obtain the non volatile components and the essential oils, respectively. The extracts contained thirteen polyphenol derivatives, i.e., four flavanones, seven flavones, and two organic acids. Their qualitative and quantitative characterization was carried out by LC/MS analyses. The essential oils were characterized using a combination of GC-FID and GC/MS analyses; a total of 81 components were identified. The major components of the oils were thymol, p-cymene, and γ-terpinene. Cluster analysis was carried out on both phytochemical profiles and resulted in the division of the oregano samples into different chemical groups. The antioxidant activity of the essential oils and extracts was investigated by the Folin-Ciocalteau (FC) colorimetric assay, by UV radiation-induced peroxidation in liposomal membranes (UV-IP test), and by determining the O(2)(∙-)-scavenging activity.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento dei Sistemi Agro-Ambientali (SAGA), Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 13, I-90128 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tuttolomondo
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: La Bella
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Licata
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Virga
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leto
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saija
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trombetta
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomaino
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Speciale
authors.forename: Edoardo M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Napoli
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Siracusa
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pasquale
authors.forename: Giusy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Curcuruto
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ruberto
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018533:Biomass; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D044950:Flavanones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D047309:Flavones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D031341:Origanum / Q000737:chemistry*; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012802:Sicily
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D044950:Flavanones; D047309:Flavones; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D059808:Polyphenols