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Asma ALLAL, Nassima BENMANSOUR, Chaouki SELLES, Alain MUSELLI

Abstract

In traditional medicine, Ferula communis L. (Apiaceae) is used to treat various ailments, including fever and infections. This study investigated the chemical profile and antioxidant potential of the essential oil and hydrosol extract derived from the aerial parts of F. communis growing in Algeria. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation, while the hydrosol extract was prepared via hydrodistillation followed by liquid-liquid extraction. Chemical compositions were determined by GC and GC-MS. DPPH and reducing power (Oyaizu) assays were employed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity. The oil's composition was dominated by sesquiterpenes (71.5%), with (E)-β-caryophyllene (22.1%) as the major constituent. Conversely, the hydrosol extract was primarily composed of oxygenated compounds (58.9%), mainly alcohols. The hydrosol extract exhibited higher antioxidant activity than the essential oil, with an IC₅₀ value of 15.19 mg mL⁻¹ in the DPPH assay and an EC₅₀ value of 1.65 mg mL⁻¹ in the reducing power assay, compared with 21.11 mg mL⁻¹ and 4.64 mg mL⁻¹, respectively, for the essential oil. This study represents the first report on the composition of F. communis hydrosol extract, highlighting its antioxidant potential and warranting further investigation.

Keywords

Essential oil, Hydrosol, Antioxidant activity, Ferula communis, GC-MS

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