Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil, Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Vitex pseudo-negundo Seeds Collected from Northeastern Iran

Abstract

In this study, the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the seeds of Vitex pseudo-negundo (Verbenaceae), growing wild in Sabzevar, Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The yield of total volatiles was 0.8% (w/w). Thirty-seven compounds representing 92.4% of the seed oil were identified. The main components of the oil were hexadecanoic acid (8.0%), elemol (7.0%) and α-bisabolol (6.1%). The oil was rich in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (51.2%). The total flavonoids of different extracts of the plant were found the range 56-195 mg/g, with the maximum amount being in the methanol extract. In addition, the antioxidant activities of the extracts were measured by radical scavenging activity of antioxidants against the free radical 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The antioxidant activities of the extracts of V. pseudo-negundo seed were higher than those of the standard synthetic antioxidants, BHT, ascorbic acid and gallic acid.