Chemical composition and free radical scavenging activities of Volatile essential oil from Chassalia kolly from Nigeria

Abstract

Chassalia kolly is a shrub that belongs to the family Rubiaceae. It is used in the treatment of skin infections, typhoid and fever in traditional medicine practice. In this study, essential oil extracted from the leaves of Chassalia kolly was analysed for its chemical constituents and investigated for antioxidant activities. Leaves of Chassalia kolly were collected at Ibadan, Nigeria's Oyo State. Hydrodistillation method was used to extract essential oil from the leaves of Chassalia kolly. Analysis using the gas chromatography mass spectroscopy technique was used to determine the essential oil's chemical composition. Using the 2, 2-Diphenyl-1 picryl hydroxyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity technique, the antioxidant activities of the essential oil were investigated at dosages ranging from 200 to 25 μg/ml. The major constituents identied by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) examination are curcumene (5.8%), 1,8 cineole (3.76%), nerolidol (5.48%) and α-farnesene (5.07%). Minor elements such as linalool (1.00%), caryophyllene (1.63%) and phytol (1.09%) were also found. The antioxidant test showed that the essential oil had a moderate percentage of radical scavenging activity of 18.61% when its radical scavenging activity at a concentration of 200 μg/ml was compared to the standard ascorbic acid at the same dosage. The ethnomedicinal uses of Chassalia Kolly may be due to the presence of these chemical constituents in the essential oil extracted from the leaves.