Wild Sicilian Rosemary: Phytochemical and Morphological Screening and Antioxidant Activity Evaluation of Extracts and Essential Oils |
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| Authors: | Edoardo M. Napoli Laura Siracusa Antonella Saija Antonio Speciale Domenico Trombetta Teresa Tuttolomondo Salvatore La Bella Mario Licata Giuseppe Virga Raffaele Leone Claudio Leto Laura Rubino Giuseppe Ruberto |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Istituto del C.N.R. di Chimica Biomolecolare, Via Paolo Gaifami 18, IT‐95126 Catania, (phone: +39‐0957338347;2. fax: +39‐0957338310);3. Dipartimento Scienze del Farmaco e dei Prodotti per la Salute, Università di Messina, Contrada Annunziata, IT‐98168 Messina;4. Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali (SAF), Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 13, IT‐90128 Palermo;5. Co.Ri.S.S.I.A. Consorzio di Ricerca per lo Sviluppo di Sistemi Innovativi Agroambientali, Via Libertà 203, IT‐90100 Palermo |
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| Abstract: | To identify the best biotypes, an extensive survey of Sicilian wild rosemary was carried out by collecting 57 samples from various sites, followed by taxonomic characterization from an agronomic perspective. All the biotypes collected were classified as Rosmarinus officinalis L. A cluster analysis based on the morphological characteristics of the plants allowed the division of the biotypes into seven main groups, although the characteristics examined were found to be highly similar and not area‐dependent. Moreover, all samples were analyzed for their phytochemical content, applying an extraction protocol to obtain the nonvolatile components and hydrodistillation to collect the essential oils for the volatile components. The extracts were characterized by LC‐UV‐DAD/ESI‐MS, and the essential oils by GC‐FID and GC/MS analyses. In the nonvolatile fractions, 18 components were identified, namely, 13 flavones, two organic acids, and three diterpenes. In the volatile fractions, a total of 82 components were found, with as predominant components α‐pinene and camphene among the monoterpene hydrocarbons and 1,8‐cineole, camphor, borneol, and verbenone among the oxygenated monoterpenes. Cluster analyses were carried out on both phytochemical profiles, allowing the separation of the rosemary samples into different chemical groups. Finally, the total phenol content and the antioxidant activity of the essential oils and extracts were determined with the Folin–Ciocalteu (FC) colorimetric assay, the UV radiation‐induced peroxidation in liposomal membranes (UV‐IP test), and the scavenging activity of the superoxide radical (O$rm{{_{2}^{{^cdot} -}}}$ ). The present study confirmed that the essential oils and organic extracts of the Sicilian rosemary samples analyzed showed a considerable antioxidant/free radical‐scavenging activity. |
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| Keywords: | Rosmarinus officinalis Essential oils Sicily Cluster Analysis (CA) Antioxidant activity |
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