title: Chemical composition and antioxidant activities of essential oils from different parts of the oregano.
abstract: This research was undertaken in order to characterize the chemical compositions and evaluate the antioxidant activities of essential oils obtained from different parts of the Origanum vulgare L. It is a medicinal plant used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of heat stroke, fever, vomiting, acute gastroenteritis, and respiratory disorders. The chemical compositions of the three essential oils from different parts of the oregano (leaves-flowers, stems, and roots) were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity of each essential oil was assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and reducing the power test. Among the essential oils from different parts of the oregano, the leaf-flower oils have the best antioxidant activities, whereas the stem oils are the worst. The results of the DPPH free radical scavenging assay showed that the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of the essential oils were (0.332±0.040) mg/ml (leaves-flowers), (0.357±0.031) mg/ml (roots), and (0.501±0.029) mg/ml (stems), respectively. Interestingly, the results of reducing the power test also revealed that when the concentration exceeded 1.25 mg/ml, the leaf-flower oils had the highest reducing power; however, the stem oils were the lowest.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan 430065, China.|College of Pharmacy, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Basis Medical College, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Qiang
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of TCM, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Humanities, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of TCM, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Cheng
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.affiliation: Basis Medical College, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Dong
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan 430065, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of TCM of New Products for Geriatrics Hubei Province, Wuhan 430065, China.
authors.forename: Han-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry*; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000737:chemistry; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry*; D031341:Origanum / Q000737:chemistry*; D010851:Picrates / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000378:metabolism; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010851:Picrates; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010938:Plant Oils; C004931:1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
keywords: Oregano; Chemical composition; Antioxidant activity; Essential oils