Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activities of Leaf, Fruit, and Branch Essential Oils Obtained From Zanthoxylum nitidum Grown in Vietnam

Abstract

Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC is a traditional Vietnamese medicine to treat coughs, stomachache, toothache, blood stagnation, and sore throats. The essential oils (EOs) of the leaves, fruits, and stems of this plant were extracted by hydrodistillation and subjected to analysis by gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detector (FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (MS). The isolated EOs were then evaluated in terms of their antimicrobial activity by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay and in vitro cytotoxic effect against 5 human tumor cell lines. GC-MS-FID analysis showed 35, 32, and 25 compounds accounting for 97.6%, 91.7%, and 96.2% of the total EO contents from the leaves, fruits, and stems, respectively. The major compounds of the leaf EO were limonene (44.3%), β-caryophyllene (12.5%), linalool (11.0%), germacrene D (5.3%), and α-pinene (4.9%); the major compounds of the fruit EO were n-pentadecane (34.8%), sabinene (18.3%), and n-heptadecane (4.7%), and the major components of the stem EO were 2-undecanone (72.3%), β-caryophyllene (5.8%), and germacrene D (4.0%). The EOs of leaves, fruits, and stems of Z. nitidum exhibited antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Fusarium oxysporum with MIC values of 100 µg/mL. The leaf and branch EOs exhibited cytotoxic activity against all tested cancer cell lines, especially A-549 and HepG-2. Findings from the present study provide important knowledge about the potential uses of Z. nitidum EOs as a natural antibacterial and antitumor agents.

Anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects of hydrosol extracted from Zanthoxylum schinifolium branch

“…The effectiveness of the antibacterial and anticancer activities of some compounds of this species have recently been scientifically confirmed (Choi et al 2008). The bioactive compounds for medical use can be found in all plant parts of Z. schinifolium (Tuyen et al 2021). However, the components of the extracts obtained from various parts of the same plant can fluctuate, leading to important compositional dissimilarities.…”

“…In previous studies, the essential oil content of Z. schinifolium fruit was reported by Iseli et al (2007) as limonene (21.63%), 4-terpineol (14.50%), and α-terpineol acetate (5.33%). Tuyen et al (2021) reported that the major components of essential leaf oil from Z. schinifolium were limonene (44.3%), β-caryophyllene (12.5%), linalool (11.0%), germacrene D (5.3%), and α-pinene (4.9%), and the major components of the essential fruit oil were n-pentadecane (34.8%), sabinene (18.3%), and n-heptadecane (4.7%), and the major components of the essential Z. schinifolium branch oil were 2-undecanone (72.3%), β-caryophyllene (5.8%), and germacrene D (4.0%). As reported in above studies the volatile components may vary depending on the parts of the same species of plants, which is also shown by the results of this study (Table 2).…”

“…For example, two different essential oils are produced from a cinnamon tree, one from leaves containing 87% eugenol as the major component, and the other from bark containing 97% cinnamaldehyde (Singh et al 2007). As previously reported, the medical efficacy according to the bioactive compounds of the extract of Z. schinifolium may also differ from part to part (Tuyen et al 2021).…”

“…To date, most of the fruits and leaves of Z. schinifolium have been extracted with essential oils, chemical components have been extracted and analyzed, and various pharmacological effects have been studied (Guo et al 2018;Kim et al 2018;Tuyen et al 2021). However, the yield of oil separated from the fruit or leaves of Zanthoxylum is extremely low, at approximately 2% to 7% levels (Paudel et al 2017).…”

Optimization of the Essential Oil Extraction Process from Dong Van Marjoram (E. winitiana var. dongvanensis Phuong.) by Using Microwave Assisted Hydrodistillation, and the Bioactivities of the Oil Against Some Cancer Cell Lines and Bacteria

“…GC-FID analysis was applied using similar conditions as those used for GC-MS analysis. 16 The GC-FID peak area was used to calculate the relative percentage of components in the essential oil, without any correction factor. Identification of the constituents was carried out by comparing the obtained retention indices (RI) and mass…”