Comparative Study on Essential Oil Composition of Different Accessions of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.)

Venskutonis, Petras Rimantas; Bagdonaite, Edita

Comparative Study on Essential Oil Composition of Different Accessions of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.)

2011

Venskutonis, Petras Rimantas | Bagdonaite, Edita

The aim of the present study was to investigate the composition of the essential oil of the aerial parts of Hypericum perforatum and to assess the differences among various field accessions. For this purpose essential oils from the aerial parts of H. perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) collected in Lithuania was extracted by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger type apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. In total 95 components were identified in the essential oil of H. perforatum, representing 75 – 96 % of the oil. Remarkable quantitative and qualitative differences were determined among the analyzed H. perforatum accessions. Comparatively low contents of monoterpenes and high contents of sesquiterpenes were characteristic to the oils. The oxygen containing monoterpene fraction represented 1.1 – 9.1 % of the total oil, with linalool (0.7 – 4.1 %) as the main component. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes (25.3 – 38.4 %) prevailed in the sesquiterpenes fraction; caryophyllene oxide (5.4 – 18.7 %) and spathulenol (1.2 – 12.2 %) were major constituents in the most of the accessions. The sesquiterpene hydrocarbons represented 2.4 -7.2 % of the total oil, with cadalene (0.4 – 4.3 %) as the main component. Significant differences were found in the composition of oils of H. perforatum wild accessions and cultivar ‘Zolotodolinskaja’. The main conclusion is that the essential oils of H. perforatum showed remarkable differences in chemical composition which depends on the plant habitat.

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