Antioxidant Activity of Chamomile Essential Oil and Main Components

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize the antioxidant capacity of the chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) essential oil (EO) as well as its major constituents. For this purpose, Pharmacopoeia grade Matricariae aetheroleum was used after the analytical evaluation, which was confirmed by GC/MS and GC/FID, respectively. The main components were identified as α-bisabolol oxide A and B, (E)-b-farnesene, α-bisabolone oxide A, chamazulene, and α-bisabolol according the European Pharmacopoeia, respectively. The major constituents α-bisabolol oxide A and chamazulene were purified using prep-TLC from the EO, and the identification and quantification of the constituents were confirmed by GC/MS and GC/FID analyses. Chamomile EO, α-bisabolol oxide A, (E)- b- farnesene, chamazulene, and α-bisabolol were evaluated comparatively for their in vitro antioxidant activities using the spectrophotometric 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging microdilution assay. The highest free radical inhibitory activity was observed for chamazulene followed by α-bisabolol oxide A, the chamomile EO and (E)-b-farnesene, respectively.