Chemical composition of the essential oil, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of Vitex pseudo-negundo seeds collected from northeastern Iran

In this study, the essential oils 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 mean yield of total volatile oils 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 αbisabolol (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 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). It was found that the antioxidant activities of the extracts of Vitex pseudo-negundo seed are higher than those of the standard synthetic antioxidants, BHT, ascorbic acid and gallic acid.