Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil of endemic Viola tianshanica

The composition and in vitro antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extract of the aerial parts of Viola tianshanica were evaluated in this research. GC–MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 15 constituents, representing 89.67% of the oil. The major compounds detected in the essential oil were dibutyl phthalate (15.19%), hexadecanoate methyl (8.65%), n-hexadecanoic acid (3.07%) and 2,3-pentanedione (2.62%). Essential oil and methanol extract were tested for their antioxidant activities using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl free radical scavenging and β-carotene linoleic acid assay. In addition, the total phenol of essential oil, polar subfraction and non-polar subfraction were determined.