Antioxidant Activity of Chamomile Essential Oil and Main Components

The objective of this study was to characterize the antioxidant capacity of the chamomile ( Matricaria recutita L.) essential oil (EO) as well as its major constituents. For this purpose, Pharmacopoeia grade Matricariae aetheroleum was used after the analytical evaluation, which was confirmed by GC/MS and GC/FID, respectively. The main components were identified as α -bisabolol oxide A and B, ( E )- b -farnesene, α -bisabolone oxide A, chamazulene, and α -bisabolol according the European Pharmacopoeia, respectively. The major constituents α -bisabolol oxide A and chamazulene were purified using prep-TLC from the EO, and the identification and quantification of the constituents were confirmed by GC/MS and GC/FID analyses. Chamomile EO, α -bisabolol oxide A, ( E )- b - farnesene, chamazulene, and α -bisabolol were evaluated comparatively for their in vitro antioxidant activities using the spectrophotometric 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging microdilution assay. The highest free radical inhibitory activity was observed for chamazulene followed by α -bisabolol oxide A, the chamomile EO and ( E )- b -farnesene, respectively.