Essential Oil Composition and Bioactivity of Two Juniper Species from Bulgaria and Slovakia

Abstract

Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb and J. sabina L. contain essential oil (EO), while J. sabina also contains podophyllotoxin, which is used as a precursor for anti-cancer drugs. Two studies were conducted. The first assessed the variability in the EO profile and podophyllotoxin concentration of the two junipers, depending on the location and tree gender. The main EO constituents of J. excelsa were α-cedrol, α-limonene and α-pinene, while the constituents in J. sabina were sabinene, terpinen-4-ol, myrtenyl acetate and α-cadinol. The podophyllotoxin yield of 18 J. sabina accessions was 0.07–0.32% (w/w), but this was not found in any of the J. excelsa accessions. The second study assessed the effect of hydrodistillation (Clevenger apparatus) and steam distillation (in a semi-commercial apparatus) on the EO profile and bioactivity. The extraction type did not significantly alter the EO composition. The EO profiles of the two junipers and their accessions were different and may be of interest to the industry utilizing juniper leaf EO. Breeding and selection programs could be developed with the two junipers (protected species) in order to identify chemotypes with (1) a high EO content and desirable composition, and (2) a high concentration of podophyllotoxin in J. sabina. Such chemotypes could be established as agricultural crops for the commercial production of podophyllotoxin and EO.

Juniperus sabina L. as a Source of Podophyllotoxins: Extraction Optimization and Anticholinesterase Activities

“…The Juniperus genus is an alternative plant source of podophyllotoxin and its analogues [ 5 ]. In 1953, podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin were identified in the Juniperus genus [ 6 ]; today, they are found in many species: Juniperus chinensis [ 7 , 8 ], Juniperus conferta [ 7 ], Juniperus davurica [ 9 ], Juniperus depressa [ 7 ]; Juniperus horizontalis [ 8 ]; Juniperus lucayana [ 6 ]; Juniperus scopulorum [ 7 , 10 ], Juniperus virginiana L. [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], Juniperus x media [ 14 ], Juniperus bermudiana L. [ 5 ], Juniperus horizontalis [ 15 ], Juniperus communis L. [ 16 ], Juniperus sabina L. [ 17 , 18 ], and Juniperus phoenicea [ 19 ].…”

Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Leaves and Fruits of Juniperus foetidissima and Their Attractancy and Toxicity to Two Economically Important Tephritid Fruit Fly Species, Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha suspensa

“…However, literature data reveals that the thujone content can vary depending on the plant species, harvested time, and region or habitat from which the sample originates [53]. Comparing previously reported Juniperus EOs, thujones were detected in relatively low concentrations or were lacking in nine Juniperus EOs (J. chinensis, J. communis, J. excelsa, J. macropoda, J. phoenicea, J. saltuaria, J. scopulorum, J. squamata, and J. virginiana), whereas thujones were found in higher amounts in J. foetidissima EOs [31,33,53,[55][56][57][58].…”

Chemical Investigation and Dose-Response Phytotoxic Effect of Essential Oils from Two Gymnosperm Species (Juniperus communis var. saxatilis Pall. and Larix decidua Mill.)

“…In agreement with previous works [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], our results showed monoterpenes prevail over sesquiterpenes. In particular, the two major components of J. communis and L. decidua EOs were α -pinene or sabinene, which were also found in other Juniperus [ 23 , 24 ] and Larix species [ 17 , 25 , 26 ]. Nevertheless, qualitative and/or quantitative differences in the chemical composition can be found, especially for minor compounds [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”