Chemical compositions and antioxidant activity of leaf and stem essential oils of Bryophyllum pinnatum (lam.) Kurz

Essential oils of air-dried samples of leaf and stem Bryophyllum pinnatum obtained by hydro-distillation in an all glass clevenger-type apparatus gave percentage yield of 0.14 and 0.55 respectively. The essential oils (EOs) were subjected to analysis using gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Fifteen (15) compounds representing 97.78% of B. pinnatum leaf essential oil and seventeen (17) compounds, accounting for 97.23% B. pinnatum stem essential oil were identified. The major compounds present in leaf B. pinnatum essential oil were 1-octen-3-ol (19.52%), supraene (16.63%), 1-heneicosanol (12.00%), 2,5-dimethylheptane (8.42%) and (E)-9-eicosene (6.90%) while the main compounds of B. pinnatum stem were (E)-5-eicosene (25.71%), oleamide (20.25%),  isolongifolol (13.07%) and β-gurjunene (7.71%). Both leaf and stem essential oils contain oleamide (5.63% and 20.25%), (E)-5-eicosene (6.99% and 25.71%), hexahydropseudoionone (2.24% and 2.66%) and phytol (3.73% and 3.09%) respectively. The Inhibitory concentration (IC50) values (in µg/mL) of scavenging activity of the leaf essential oil were 789 and stem essential oil had 829 compared to standards (butylated hydroxyl anisole 40.39 and ascorbic acid 55.22) which indicated a moderate antioxidant activity. We report the chemical compound present in leaf and stem essential oils and their antioxidant properties.