Chemical variability of essential oils from the leaves of <I>Tridax procumbens</I> Linn (Asteraceae) from five cities of Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Chemical variability of a plant from various continents or collected in different localities is well known and justifies its different biological activities. Thus, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the chemical variability of essential oils from leaves of Tridax procumbens Linn from five localities of Cote d'Ivoire. Essential oils have been extracted by hydrodistillation with yields varying from 0.077 to 0.079% depending on the locality. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis of essential oils showed a predominance of thymol (20.9 to 68.9%) in the oils from all the localities except that from Yamoussoukro which is of an α-acoradiene (28.9%) predominance. Several of the most important and variously distributed minor compounds consist of p-cymene (2.2 to 11.3%), β-caryophyllene (1.5 to 6.0%), β-selinene (1.8 to 10.0%), α-selinene (0 to 7.3%), elemol (0 to 16.0%), α-eudesmol (0 to 7.5%), 6,10,14-Trimethylpentadecan-2-one (0.9 to 7.2%) and phytol (0 to 7.2%). The comparative study of the chemical compositions of essential oils showed that thymol is a marker of the plant. Tridax procumbens acclimated in Côte d’Ivoire have been grouped into three chemotypes of thymol and other compounds.

Keywords: Essential oils, Tridax procumbens, Chemical variability, Thymol, Chemical composition