Essential oils composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the leaves and flowers of Chaerophyllum macropodum Boiss

This study reports the essential oils chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials of the leaves and flowers of Chaerophyllum macropodum. GC and GC/MS analysis of the plant essential oils led to the identification of 49 components making 98.3–99.4% of its oils. The main constituents of the essential oils were trans-β-farnesene, trans-β-ocimene, β-pinene, limonene, spathulenol and myrcene constituting 49.6–73.1% of the oils. The extracts from the leaves and flowers showed moderate antioxidant activities in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test (IC50 values = 196.8 and 167.1 μg/ml respectively) and β-carotene/linoleic acid assay (inhibitions percentages = 69.9% and 62.7% respectively), but the essential oils were almost inactive in these tests. On the other hand, only the essential oils of the plant showed considerable antimicrobial activity against most of the tested microorganisms.