Volume 76, 15 December 2015, Pages 857–865
Abstract
The
aim of the studies was to evaluate the chemical composition of
essential oils extracted from different mature flower heads of Arnica montana L. and Arnica chamissonis
Less. cultivated for industry. The impact of different stages of flower
development on the quantity and chemical composition of volatile oils
of Arnica montana L. and Arnica chamissonis Less. in
eastern Poland were studied. The flower heads were harvested in four
different development phases and the chemical composition of essential
oils was investigated by GC/MS. Fifty compounds in the case of A. montana and 62 components in the case of A. chamissonis constitued over 90% of the total oil content.
In
the case of the two plant species studied, the flower head maturity
determined the quantity and chemical composition of oils. The content of
volatile oils in flower heads of A. montana was in the range from 0.158% to 0.195% and in A. chamissonis
from 0.137% to 0.194%. The highest content of volatile oils in the
flower heads of the two plant species studied was noted in the full
flowering phase, when ligulate florets were opened, and up to half of
the disc of tubular florets were opened. Differences in the volatile oil
content were noted between the species studied only in the stage of
yellow buds, whereas in the other stages the contents were similar.
E-caryophyllene, alpha-pinene, isopropyl hexadecanoate, farnesyl
acetate, alpha-cis-bergamotene, and decanal are the main components that
determined the oil chemical differentiation. Generally, higher amounts
of E-caryophyllene, farnesyl acetate, and germacrene D were detected in
the flower heads of A. montana in relation to A. chamissonis. Among the main volatile oil components, isopropyl hexadecanoate and alpha-pinene were present only in the flower heads of A. chamissonis, while alpha-cis-bergamotene was only noted in A. montana. The investigations of A. montana
volatile oils in the flower heads have shown the existence the
differences in the chemical profile in relation to other European
populations of this species.
Keywords
- Arnica montana;
- Arnica chamissonis;
- GC/MS;
- Oil composition;
- E-caryophyllene;
- Alpha-pinene;
- Isopropyl hexadecanoate;
- Farnesyl acetate;
- Alpha-cis-bergamotene
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
