Essential oil composition from leaves ofHeracleum candicansWall.: a sustainable method for extraction

Edible wild plant Heracleum pyrenaicum subsp. orsinii as a potential new source of bioactive essential oils

Many Heracleum L. taxa (Apiaceae) are used as food and spices, and in traditional medicine. In this work, the chemical composition of Heracleum pyrenaicum subsp. orsinii (Guss.) F. Pedrotti and Pignatti root, leaf and fruit essential oils, their antimicrobial activity and cytotoxic effect on malignant and normal cells were investigated for the first time. The composition of the oils was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Monoterpenes prevailed in the root oil, with β-pinene (38.6%) being dominant, while in the leaf oil, sesquiterpenes, mostly (E)-nerolidol (20.5%) and (E)-caryophyllene (17.0%), were the most abundant constituents. The fruit oil contained the majority of aliphatic esters, mainly octyl acetate (36.8%) and octyl hexanoate (22.1%). The antimicrobial activity was determined by microdilution method against eight bacteria and eight fungi (standard strains, clinical or food isolates). The best antibacterial activity, better than the activity of ampicillin, was shown by the root oil against Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The strongest antifungal activity, stronger than the activity of ketoconazole, was exhibited by the leaf and root oils against Trichoderma viride, and by the root oil against Aspergillus ochraceus. The cytotoxic effect of the oils, determined by MTT test, was prominent against malignant HeLa, LS174 and A549 cells (IC₅₀ = 6.49-14.56 μg/mL). On the other hand, the oils did not show toxicity against normal MRC-5 cells at tested concentrations (IC₅₀ > 200.00 μg/mL). It can be concluded that investigated H. pyrenaicum subsp. orsinii oils represent potential new raw materials for food and pharmaceutical industry.

Chemical Composition and Bioactivity of the Essential Oils of Heracleum pyrenaicum subsp. pollinianum and Heracleum orphanidis

The objective of this research was to analyze the chemical composition, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of Heracleum pyrenaicum subsp. pollinianum (Bertol.) F. Pedrotti & Pignatti (HPP) and H. orphanidis Boiss. (HO) essential oils. The composition of the oils was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. β-Pinene (35.1%) was the most abundant compound in HPP root oil, while ( Z)-falcarinol (80.0%) dominated in HO root oil. ( E)-Nerolidol (28.5%) was the main constituent in HPP leaf oil. HPP fruit oil, as well as HO leaf and fruit oils mainly contained aliphatic esters, mostly octyl acetate (50.5–84.5%). Antimicrobial screening was performed by microdilution method against eight bacterial and eight fungal strains. The strongest antibacterial activity was shown by both root oils (MICs 0.02–0.60 mg/mL and MBCs 0.04–2.50 mg/mL for HPP, and MICs 0.02–1.25 mg/mL and MBCs 0.04–2.50 mg/mL for HO), while the best antifungal potential was exhibited by HPP fruit oil (MICs 0.30–0.60 mg/mL and MFCs 0.60–1.25 mg/mL) and HO leaf oil (MICs 0.15–0.63 mg/mL and MFCs 0.30–1.25 mg/mL). The tested root and fruit oils exhibited strong cytotoxic effect, which was determined by MTT test against HeLa (IC50 7.53–21.07 μg/mL) and LS174 (IC50 24.16–58.86 μg/mL) cell lines.