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. 2019 Dec 3;24(23):4418. doi: 10.3390/molecules24234418

Composition of Essential Oils from Roots and Aerial Parts of Carpesium divaricatum, a Traditional Herbal Medicine and Wild Edible Plant from South-East Asia, Grown in Poland

Anna Wajs-Bonikowska 1, Janusz Malarz 2, Anna Stojakowska 2,*
PMCID: PMC6930655  PMID: 31816933

Abstract

Carpesium divaricatum Sieb. and Zucc. has long been used both as traditional medicine and seasonal food. The most extensively studied specialized metabolites synthesized by the plant are sesquiterpene lactones of germacrane-type. Low-molecular and volatile terpenoids produced by C. divaricatum, however, have never been explored. In this work, compositions of essential oils distilled from roots and shoots of C. divaricatum plants, cultivated either in the open field or in the glasshouse have been studied by GC-MS-FID supported by NMR spectroscopy. The analyses led to the identification of 145 compounds in all, 112 of which were localized in aerial parts and 80 in roots of the plants grown in the open field. Moreover, remarkable differences in composition of oils produced by aerial and underground parts of C. divaricatum have been observed. The major volatiles found in the shoots were: α-pinene (40%), nerol (4%) and neryl-isobutyrate (3%), whereas predominant components of the root oil were 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-epoxythymyl-isobutyrate (29%), thymyl-isobutyrate (6%) and 9-isobutyryloxythymyl-isobutyrate (6%). In the analyzed oils, seventeen thymol derivatives were identified. Among them eight compounds were specific for roots. Roots of the plants cultivated in the glasshouse were, in general, a poor source of essential oil in comparison with those of the plants grown in the open field. Chemophenetic relationships with other taxa of the Inuleae-Inulineae were also briefly discussed.

Keywords: alpha-pinene, Carpesium divaricatum, Inuleae, monoterpenoids, thymol derivatives

1. Introduction

Plant genera of the subtribe Inuleae-Inulinae (family Asteraceae), e.g., Inula, Pulicaria, Telekia, Dittrichia, Blumea and Chiliadenus, are known to produce essential oils containing biologically active mono- and sesquiterpenoids [1,2,3]. Essential oils from Carpesium spp. are less studied. To our knowledge, only two communications on essential oil from the herb of C. abrotanoides L., the species included in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, have been published to date [4,5]. C. divaricatum Sieb. and Zucc. is a medicinal and food plant rich in terpenoid metabolites [6,7,8,9]. Recently, hydroxycinnamates and biologically active oxylipin from aerial parts of the plant have been also described [10]. According to the recent taxonomic studies [11,12], Telekia speciosa (Schreb.) Baumg. as well as some species of the genus Inula, known as essential oil bearing plants, are closely related to C. divaricatum. However, the content and composition of essential oils from C. divaricatum has remained unknown until now. The aim of the present study was to investigate the volatile compounds from roots and aerial parts of C. divaricatum and to compare the newly generated data with those reported previously for the related species.

2. Results

Unlike in its natural habitat, in our climate C. divaricatum is an annual plant. Moreover, due to late flowering, the plants grown in the open field failed to produce seeds. Fertile seeds were obtained only from the plants cultivated in a glasshouse. Yields of essential oils produced by the aerial parts of the plants were low (<0.02%, see Table 1) and except for the variations in percentages of individual compounds, oils distilled from shoots of the field grown plants and from the aerial parts of plants cultivated in a glasshouse demonstrated some minor qualitative differences in their composition (112 versus 89 identified constituents). The major compounds found in the essential oil from shoots of C. divaricatum were: α-pinene (c. 40% of oil), nerol (2.1%–3.7%) and neryl isobutyrate (3.2%–3.9%). Identified thymol derivatives (compounds: 54, 73, 84, 85, 111, 130, 142, 148 and 149, see Figure 1) constituted c. 6% of the oil. Roots of the plant turned out to be much better source of volatile terpenoids (yield of essential oil—0.15%). In contrast to the aerial parts (Figure 2), they contained only low amount of α-pinene (up to 1.8% of the essential oil). Thymol derivatives (17 identified structures, see Figure 1) accounted for over 60% and 44% of the essential oil from roots of the garden grown plants and plants cultivated in the glasshouse, respectively. 10-Isobutyryloxy-8,9-epoxythymyl isobutyrate was the major constituent of the analyzed root oils (18.1%–29.2%).

Table 1.

Chemical composition of essential oils from aerial parts and roots of Carpesium divaricatum.

No Compound Amount (%) RI c exp. RI d
lit.		 Identification Method
Aerial Parts Roots
OF a G b OF a G b
1 hexanal - - 0.1 - 771 771 RI e, MS f
2 (E)-hex-2-enal 0.2 - - - 825 832 RI, MS
3 hexan-1-ol 0.1 - tr. - 852 837 RI, MS
4 tricyclene tr. - - - 917 927 RI, MS
5 α-thujene 0.1 - - - 922 932 RI, MS
6 α-pinene 40.2 21.8 0.1 1.8 930 936 RI, MS
7 camphene 0.3 - - - 940 950 RI, MS
8 sabinene tr. - - - 944 973 RI, MS
9 6-methylhept-5-en-2-one 0.2 0.2 - - 962 978 RI, MS
10 β-pinene 0.5 0.3 - tr. 966 978 RI, MS
11 2-pentylfuran 0.4 0.3 0.2 - 976 981 RI, MS
12 trans-2-(pent-2-enyl)furan 0.1 0.1 - - 984 984 RI, MS
13 α-phellandrene - - tr. - 991 1002 RI, MS
14 δ-car-3-ene tr. - - - 1005 1010 RI, MS
15 m-cymene 0.2 tr. tr. - 1006 1013 RI, MS
16 p-cymene - - tr. - 1007 1015 RI, MS
17 β-phellandrene - - tr. - 1014 1023 RI, MS
18 limonene 0.2 tr. - 0.1 1018 1025 RI, MS
19 γ-terpinene 0.1 0.2 - - 1047 1051 RI, MS
20 trans-linalool oxide (furanoid) tr. - tr. - 1055 1058 RI, MS
21 camphen-6-ol tr. - - - 1066 1082 RI, MS
22 terpinolene tr. tr. - - 1077 1082 RI, MS
23 n-nonanal - 0.1 - - 1080 1076 RI, MS
24 linalool 2.1 3.4 0.1 tr. 1083 1086 RI, MS
25 145/89/143/115 M? 0.1 - - - 1091 - RI, MS
26 limona ketone - - tr. - 1100 1105 RI, MS
27 α-campholenal 0.6 0.1 - - 1101 1105 RI, MS
28 cis-p-menth-2-en-1-ol 0.1 tr. 0.1 0.1 1104 1108 RI, MS
29 trans-p-menth-2-en-1-ol - - 0.1 0.1 1119 1116 RI, MS
30 trans-pinocarveol 0.7 0.2 - - 1120 1126 RI, MS
31 cis-verbenol - tr. - - 1121 1132 RI, MS
32 trans-verbenol 0.3 0.2 - - 1124 1134 RI, MS
33 2-hydroxy-3-methyl-
benzaldehyde		 - - 0.1 0.2 1126 1135 RI, MS
34 (E)-non-2-enal 0.1 tr. 0.1 0.2 1133 1136 RI, MS
35 nerol oxide - - 0.2 1.0 1134 1137 RI, MS
36 pinocarvone 0.5 0.1 - - 1135 1137 RI, MS
37 p-mentha-1,5-dien-8-ol 0.1 0.2 - - 1143 1138 RI, MS
38 geijeren 0.4 tr. 4.2 3.1 1148 1139 RI, MS
39 terpinen-4-ol 0.7 0.9 - - 1159 1164 RI, MS
40 myrtenal - tr. - - 1165 1172 RI, MS
41 α-terpineol 0.8 0.7 0.1 0.1 1171 1176 RI, MS
42 cis-piperitol - - tr. tr. 1176 1181 RI, MS
43 myrtenol 0.1 - - - 1177 1178 RI, MS
44 n-decanal 0.6 1.2 - - 1182 1180 RI, MS
45 trans-piperitol - - tr. tr. 1186 1193 RI, MS
46 2-ethenyl-3-methyloanisol 0.2 - 0.7 0.9 1190 1196 RI, MS
47 β-cyclocitral 0.2 0.3 - - 1193 1195 RI, MS
48 trans-carveol 0.1 - - - 1195 1200 RI, MS
49 nerol 3.7 2.1 1.4 1.2 1210 1210 1H, RI, MS
50 thymol methyl ether - - 0.4 0.1 1211 1215 1H, RI, MS
51 geraniol 0.2 0.4 - - 1233 1235 RI, MS
52 α-jonene 0.1 - - - 1241 1258 RI, MS
53 cuminol tr. - 0.3 0.3 1245 1266 RI, MS
54 thymol 0.1 - 0.1 0.1 1258 1267 RI, MS
55 carvacrol 0.9 - 0.3 0.3 1264 1278 RI, MS
56 dihydroedulan II 0.1 0.1 - - 1278 1290 RI, MS
57 (E,E)-deca-2,4-dienal 0.1 - - 0.1 1286 1291 RI, MS
58 4,6-dimethyl-2,3-2H-
benzofuran-2-one		 - - 0.2 0.2 1317 - RI, MS
59 7αH-silphiperfol-5-ene 0.5 0.1 0.7 2.5 1323 1329 RI, MS
60 presilphiperfol-7-ene 0.2 - 0.2 0.3 1332 1342 RI, MS
61 7βH-silphiperfol-5-ene 0.9 0.1 1.1 3.4 1342 1352 RI, MS
62 α-cubebene tr. 0.1 - - 1344 1355 RI, MS
63 α-longipinene 0.2 tr. 0.3 0.4 1348 1360 RI, MS
64 (E)-tridec-6-en-4-yn 0.2 0.1 - - 1363 - RI, MS
65 viburtinal - - 0.5 1.2 1367 - RI, MS
66 longicyclene 0.4 - 0.3 0.4 1371 1372 RI, MS
67 cyclosativene 0.4 - - - 1372 1378 RI, MS
68 α-copaene - 0.5 - - 1375 1379 RI, MS
69 silphiperfol-6-ene - - 0.3 0.4 1376 1379 RI, MS
70 modephene 0.2 - 0.3 1.0 1377 1383 RI, MS
71 α-isocomene 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.3 1383 1389 RI, MS
72 137/121/95/136 M204 0.6 0.1 0.5 0.8 1391 - RI, MS
73 6-methoxythymol methyl-ether 2.1 0.5 2.7 1.4 1394 1398 RI, MS
74 β-isocomene 0.6 0.2 0.7 2.0 1402 1411 RI, MS
75 α-cedrene 0.1 - tr. tr. 1409 1418 RI, MS
76 α-gurjunene - tr. - - 1410 1418 RI, MS
77 α-santalene 1.0 0.5 0.6 0.8 1413 1422 RI, MS
78 trans-geranylacetone 0.3 0.3 - - 1423 1430 RI, MS
79 trans-α-bergamotene 0.6 0.1 0.3 0.2 1428 1434 RI, MS
80 epi-β-santalene 1.5 0.4 0.9 0.8 1438 1446 RI, MS
81 α-himachalene 0.5 0.1 - - 1441 1450 RI, MS
82 aromadendrene 0.2 - 0.3 0.4 1442 1449 RI, MS
83 α-humulene 0.1 - tr. tr. 1446 1455 RI, MS
84 8,9-didehydrothymyl-
isobutyrate 		0.9 0.2 1.6 0.8 1461 1458 RI, MS
85 thymyl-isobutyrate 2.0 1.0 6.3 3.5 1467 1462 1H, RI, MS
86 β-jonone 0.9 1.5 - - 1468 1468 RI, MS
87 neryl isobutyrate 3.2 3.9 4.1 3.9 1475 1468 1H, RI, MS
88 γ-himachalene 0.3 0.1 - - 1480 1479 RI, MS
89 123/93/94/121 M204 0.8 0.1 0.5 0.7 1484 - RI, MS
90 (3E,6Z)-α-farnesene 1.8 5.5 - - 1487 1475 RI, MS
91 α-terpinyl isovalerate - - 0.2 0.7 1489 1488 RI, MS
92 γ-muurolene tr. 0.2 - - 1493 1494 RI, MS
93 elixene (4-isopropylidene-1-vinyl-o-
menth-8-ene)		 - - 0.2 0.2 1498 1493 RI, MS
94 ledene 1.5 2.2 tr. 0.2 1499 1491 RI, MS
95 α-muurolene - 1.1 - - 1500 1496 RI, MS
96 (E,E)-α-farnesene 0.7 1.1 - - 1502 1498 RI, MS
97 β-bisabolene 1.6 0.6 0.5 0.4 1507 1503 RI, MS
98 γ-cadinene 1.1 3.2 - - 1511 1507 RI, MS
99 cameronan-7α-ol - - tr. 0.1 1513 1513 RI, MS
100 α-photosantalol - - 0.1 0.2 1514 1514 RI, MS
101 isolongifolan-8-ol - - 0.1 0.5 1517 1515 RI, MS
102 cis/trans-calamenene 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 1526 1517 RI, MS
103 δ-cadinene 1.4 5.3 - - 1520 1520 RI, MS
104 β-cadinene 0.1 0.3 - - 1523 1526 RI, MS
105 9-methoxycalamenene 0.1 - - - 1524 - RI, MS
106 147/162/121/177 M206 - - tr. 0.1 1531 - RI, MS
107 121/163/93/134 M218 - - 0.2 0.1 1534 - RI, MS
108 α-cadinene 0.3 0.5 - - 1535 1534 RI, MS
109 (E)-α-bisabolene 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.7 1536 1530 RI, MS
110 (E)-nerolidol 2.2 8.6 0.6 0.6 1543 1553 1H, RI, MS
111 thymyl-2-methylbutyrate 0.1 - 0.2 0.2 1546 - RI, MS
112 neryl-α-methylbutyrate 1.7 1.6 3.6 3.4 1551 1565 RI, MS
113 neryl isovalerate 1.6 1.3 2.3 1.8 1557 1579 RI, MS
114 caryophyllene oxide 0.4 0.4 1.1 2.1 1565 1578 1H, RI, MS
115 viridiflorol 0.5 1.4 - - 1577 1592 RI, MS
116 isoaromadendreneepoxide 0.3 0.1 - - 1584 1590 RI, MS
117 ledol 0.3 0.5 - - 1588 1600 RI, MS
118 humulene II epoxide - - 0.4 1.1 1595 1602 RI, MS
119 1,10-di-epi-cubenol 0.1 0.2 - - 1597 1615 RI, MS
120 135/146/159/71 M218 - - 0.2 0.3 1602 - RI, MS
121 muurola-4,10(14)-dien-1β-ol 0.2 0.2 - - 1605 1620 RI, MS
122 gossonorol - - 0.1 0.1 1613 1626 RI, MS
123 1-epi-cubenol 0.2 0.5 - - 1614 1623 RI, MS
124 α-acorenol tr. - 0.4 0.5 1620 1623 RI, MS
125 τ-cadinol 1.4 4.1 - - 1625 1633 1H, RI, MS
126 τ-muurolol 0.3 0.4 - - 1628 1633 RI, MS
127 β-eudesmol 0.6 0.2 3.4 3.8 1631 1641 RI, MS
128 α-cadinol 1.3 3.8 0.4 0.3 1638 1643 1H, RI, MS
129 5β,7βH,10α-eudesm-11-en-
1α-ol		 - - 0.3 - 1653 - RI, MS
130 6-methoxythymyl isobutyrate 0.9 0.7 3.8 4.9 1657 1658 1H,13C, RI, MS
131 6-methoxy-8,9-didehydrothymyl isobutyrate tr. - 0.4 0.2 1665 1676 RI, MS
132 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-
didehydrothymol-methyl-ether		 - - 0.4 0.3 1666 1684 1H,13C, RI, MS
133 α-bisabolol 0.1 0.4 0.3 1.3 1668 1683 RI, MS
134 145/162/71/115 M232 - - 0.3 0.5 1681 - RI, MS
135 aromadendrene oxide 0.1 0.1 - - 1702 1672 RI, MS
136 135/148/133/91 M236 - - 0.1 0.1 1725 - RI, MS
137 135/164/71/91 M234 - - 0.2 0.1 1733 - RI, MS
138 fenantrene (artifact) 0.1 0.3 - - 1741 1744 RI, MS
139 diisobutylphtalate (artifact) 0.9 2.5 0.3 0.6 1817 1819 RI, MS
140 hexahydrofarnesylacetone 0.2 0.8 - - 1820 1830 RI, MS
141 alantolactone 0.1 - 0.2 tr. 1854 1878 RI, MS
142 9-isobutyryloxythymyl-
isobutyrate 		0.2 0.8 5.6 5.7 1879 1891 1H,13C, RI, MS
143 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-
didehydrothymyl-isobutyrate 		- - 3.0 3.1 1882 1891 RI, MS
144 (5E,9E)-farnesylacetone 0.1 0.2 - - 1889 1895 RI, MS
145 dibutylphtalate (artifact) 0.2 1.8 - - 1906 1909 RI, MS
146 7-isobutyryloxythymyl-
isobutyrate 		- - 0.6 0.7 1914 1924 RI, MS
147 9-(2-methylbutyryloxy)thymyl-isobutyrate - - 1.0 1.4 1964 1970 RI, MS
148 10-(2-methylbutyryloxy)-8,9-
didehydrothymyl-isobutyrate		 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.4 1967 1970 RI, MS
149 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-
epoxythymyl-isobutyrate 		0.2 0.6 29.2 18.1 2002 2036 1H,13C,RI,MS
150 71/177/150/135 M290 - - 0.9 0.5 2048 - RI, MS
151 10-(2-methylbutyryloxy)-8,9-
epoxythymyl-isobutyrate 		- - 4.4 3.6 2077 2056 RI, MS
152 10-isovaleroxy-8,9-
epoxythymyl-isobutyrate		 - - 0.3 0.1 2097 2122 RI, MS
153 fitol 0.3 1.7 - - 2098 - RI, MS
154 57/177/71/85 M304 - - 0.1 0.1 2149 - RI, MS
155 tricosane 0.1 0.2 - - 2286 2300 RI, MS
156 tetracosane 0.1 - - - 2386 2400 RI, MS
157 pentacosane 0.6 0.3 - - 2489 2500 RI, MS
158 hexacosane tr. - - - 2589 2600 RI, MS
159 heptacosane 0.2 0.1 - - 2685 2700 RI, MS
Sum of Identified 96.7 97.5 94.3 91.7
Yield of Essential Oil (%) 0.016 0.014 0.150 0.059
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a Essential oils isolated from aerial parts and roots of Carpesium divaricatum cultivated in the open field. b Essential oils isolated from aerial parts and roots of Carpesium divaricatum cultivated in a greenhouse. c Experimental retention index measured on non-polar column. d Literature retention index from non-polar column. e Identification based on retention index. f Identification based on mass spectrum. Tr.—<0.05%.

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Figure 1

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Structures of thymol derivatives identified in essential oils from roots of Carpesium divaricatum. 50: thymol-methyl-ether; 54: thymol; 73: 6-methoxythymol-methyl-ether; 84: 8,9-didehydrothymyl-isobutyrate; 85: thymyl-isobutyrate; 111: thymyl-2-methylbutyrate; 130: 6-methoxythymyl-isobutyrate; 131: 6-methoxy-8,9-didehydrothymyl-isobutyrate; 132: 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-didehydrothymol-methyl-ether; 142: 9-isobutyryloxythymyl-isobutyrate; 143: 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-didehydrothymyl-isobutyrate; 146: 7-Isobutyryloxythymyl-isobutyrate; 147: 9-(2-methylbutyryloxy)-thymyl-isobutyrate; 148: 10-(2-methylbutyryloxy)-8,9-didehydrothymyl-isobutyrate; 149: 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-epoxythymyl-isobutyrate; 151: 10-(2-methylbutyryloxy)-8,9-epoxythymyl-isobutyrate; 152: 10-isovaleryloxy-8,9-epoxythymyl-isobutyrate.

Figure 2.

Figure 2

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Gas chromatograms of essential oils from aerial parts and roots of Carpesium divaricatum. The numbering of the compounds corresponds to that in Table 1.

The essential oils from C. divaricatum contained some volatiles, which were difficult to identify based on GC-MS only. Flash chromatography (FC), monitored by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), was used to obtain fractions of oils rich in components of interest (purity 19%–63%, by GC-FID). The fractions were subsequently subjected to NMR analysis and the experimental chemical shifts of the chosen volatiles were compared to the literature data (see Supplementary Material).

Structures of 11 components remained unresolved, due to the small available amounts of the compounds, insufficient to perform full spectral analysis. MS spectra and retention indices of the compounds are shown in Supplementary Material.

3. Discussion

Though the essential oil content in aerial parts of C. divaricatum was very low, the occurrence of α-pinene (40% of the oil) is worth to note. The compound demonstrated anxiolytic and moderate anti-inflammatory effect in mice [13,14]. Essential oils obtained from plants of different provenience can markedly vary in their composition. Aerial parts of Pulicaria gnaphalodes (Vent.) Boiss., collected in four different locations, contained extremely different quantities of α-pinene (0.0–34.1% of the essential oil) [15]. Thus, some data on the composition of essential oils from C. divaricatum plants grown in their natural habitat would be of interest, to establish whether or not the high α-pinene content is typical of C. divaricatum aerial parts. Not much is known from the literature on essential oils from plants of the genus Carpesium. To date, only two studies on volatiles from the whole herb of C. abrotanoides have been published [4,5]. However, the authors managed to identify 14–44 components of the oils and neither α-pinene nor thymol derivatives have been detected. The major constituents were β-bisabolene (7.3–24.7%), caryophyllene-oxide (c. 13%) and eudesma-5,11(13)-dien-8,12-olide (c. 22%). Volatile constituents from other species of the Inuleae-Inulinae subtribe are better investigated. Thymol and its derivatives seem to be widespread within the plants of the subtribe, except for Blumea spp. [16,17,18]. The genus Pulicaria comprises species with essential oils rich in thymol and its methyl ether, like Pulicaria vulgaris Gaertn. [19] and Pulicaria sicula (L.) Moris [15] together with some species devoid of thymol derivatives [20]. The content of thymol derivatives in essential oil from aerial parts of C. divaricatum (6.4%) is similar to those detected in oils from aerial parts of other species of the subtribe, e.g., Schizogyne sericea (L.F.) DC. [21,22], Telekia speciosa (Schreb.) Baumg. [23,24] and Limbarda crithmoides (L.) Dumort. (formerly Inula crithmoides L.) [25]. Structural diversity of the compounds was also similar, with numerous thymol esters.

Essential oils from roots of the Inuleae-Inulinae plants have rarely been studied. Literature data on a few species are available, including Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter (formerly Inula viscosa (L.) Aiton) [26], Inula racemosa Hook. f. [27,28], Inula helenium L. [1], Pulicaria mauritanica Coss. [29] and T. speciosa [24,30]. The common feature of essential oils from I. helenium, I. racemosa and T. speciosa is a very high content of eudesmane-type sesquiterpene lactones (up to 82%). Such composition of essential oils seems to be correlated with a presence of resin canals in roots of the plants. Thymol derivatives were not described as constituents of essential oil from roots of I. racemosa. The compounds, however, were found in the oils from the remaining species. Juvenile roots of I. helenium and I. viscosa contained higher amounts of the monoterpenoids than the old ones [26,31]. Two derivatives of thymol methyl ether constituted nearly 80% of the volatile fraction from I. viscosa roots [26]. Thymol, thymol methyl ether and eight thymyl ester derivatives accounted for c. 5.5% of the essential oil from roots of T. speciosa. P. mauritanica root oil contained c. 16% of the structurally related compounds. Though there are no any data on essential oils from roots of Carpesium spp., some thymol derivatives were described as constituents of methanol extract from aerial parts of C. divaricatum [32]. All of the compounds were found in essential oils from the plants analyzed in this study. Volatile fraction from roots of C. divaricatum is exceptional, in respect of both thymol derivatives content (over 60%) and their structural diversity (17 compounds; for MS spectra see Supplementary Material). 10-Isobutyryloxy-8,9-epoxy-thymyl isobutyrate, major constituent of the analyzed essential oil, demonstrated moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans [33].

4. Materials and Methods

4.1. General Experimental Procedures

GC-MS-FID analyses of essential oils and their fractions were performed on a Trace GC Ultra Gas Chromatograph coupled with DSQII mass spectrometer (Thermo Electron, Waltham, MA, USA). Simultaneous GC-FID and GC-MS analysis were performed using a MS-FID splitter (SGE Analytical Science, Ringwood, VIC, Australia). Mass range was 33–550 amu, ion source-heating: 200 °C; ionization energy: 70 eV. One microliter of essential oil solution (80% v/v) diluted in pentane:diethyl ether was injected in split mode at split ratios (50:1). Operating conditions: capillary column Rtx-1 MS (60 m × 0.25 mm i.d., film thickness 0.25 μm), and temperature program: 50 °C (3 min)—300 °C (30 min) at 4 °C/min. Injector and detector temperatures were 280 °C and 300 °C, respectively. Carrier gas was helium (constant pressure: 300 kPa). The relative composition of each essential oil sample was calculated from GC peak areas according to total peak normalization—the most popular method used in the essential oil analysis. 1H-NMR (250 MHz) and 13C-NMR (62.90 MHz) spectra for components of essential oils were recorded with a Bruker DPX 250 Avance spectrometer in CDCl3, with TMS as an internal standard.

4.2. Plant Material

Seeds of Carpesium divaricatum Sieb. and Zucc, provided by the Research Center for Medicinal Plant Resources, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Tsukuba (Japan), were sown in the end of March 2015, into multipots with garden soil. In the stage of 4–5 mature leaves, the plants were transferred to plastic pots with a substrate composed of garden soil, peat and sand (2:1:1, v/v). Plants were grown in a glasshouse of the Garden of Medicinal Plants, Maj Institute of Pharmacology PAS in Krakow, under controlled conditions (temperatures by day 18–38 °C; by night 12–18 °C), without any chemical treatment. In the third week of May, the plants were divided into two groups. First group was left in the glasshouse for further growth and the second one was transplanted into the open field. Data on cultivation conditions (type of soil, average annual temperature, annual rainfall and agrotechnical procedures applied) are available elsewhere [34]. Aerial parts and roots of the plants were collected in the beginning of flowering period (August/September) and dried under shade at room temperature. Voucher specimen (3/15) was deposited in the collection kept at the Garden of Medicinal Plants, Institute of Pharmacology, Kraków, Poland. The dry plant material was stored no longer than five months.

4.3. Isolation of Essential Oil

Essential oils from aerial (dried leaf, branches, flowers) and underground parts (dried roots) of C. divaricatum were obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Each hydrodistillation was conducted for 4 h using 100–300 g of plant material. The yellowish essential oils were dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate, and stored at 4 °C in the dark, until tested and analyzed.

4.4. Isolation and NMR Analysis of Volatile Components

To isolate the volatiles of interest, the essential oils from aerial parts (i.e., dried leaves with petioles, stems and flowers, 504 mg) and from roots (dried plant material, 973 mg) of the plants grown in the open field were separately flash-chromatographed (FC) on a glass column (500 × 30 mm) filled with silica gel 60 (0.040–0.063 mm, Merck, EM Science, NJ USA), starting the elution with n-hexane and gradually increasing the polarity by addition of diethyl ether. The elution was accelerated by means of pressurized nitrogen (flow rate 100 mL/min). The separation was monitored by TLC and GC-MS. Twenty fractions (1a–20a) of essential oil distilled from the aerial parts of the plant and twenty fractions (1b–20b) of root essential oil were obtained and analyzed by GC-MS-FID. Structures of 11 volatiles from the following fractions were confirmed using NMR spectroscopy (1H and/or 13C; see Supplementary Material): 1a: (42 mg) neryl-isobutyrate (26%); 13a: (22mg) (E)-nerolidol (25%); 15a: (22 mg) τ-cadinol (21%); 17a: (58 mg) nerol (25%); 18a: (48 mg) α-cadinol (23%); 3b: (17 mg) thymol-methyl-ether (33%); 7b: (32 mg) thymyl isobutyrate (57%); 8b: (51 mg) 6-methoxythymyl-isobutyrate (62%); 13b: (13 mg) caryophyllene-oxide (52%); 14b: (36%) 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-didehydrothymyl-isobutyrate (46%); 15b: (65 mg) 9-isobutyryloxythymyl-isobutyrate (55%); 17b: (53 mg) 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-epoxythymyl-isobutyrate (63%); 18b: (25 mg) nerol (43%).

4.5. Identification of Essential Oil Constituents

Constituents of the essential oils were identified based on their MS spectra and their comparison with those from mass spectra libraries: NIST 2012, Wiley Registry of Mass Spectral Data 8th edition and MassFinder 4.1, along with the relative retention indices (RI) on DB-1 column (available from MassFinder 4.1) and on Rtx-1MS column found in the literature [35]. Isolated compounds were also identified by the comparison of their 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectral data with those of the compounds isolated previously in our laboratory or those from the literature.

5. Conclusions

This was the first study on composition of essential oils from C. divaricatum. Aerial parts of C. divaricatum occurred to be a poor source of volatiles. Essential oil from roots of the plant was rich in thymyl ester derivatives of various structures. As some of the compounds, according to the literature [36], demonstrated moderate antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities, the essential oil from roots of C. divaricatum as well as its components are worth further studies.

Acknowledgments

We are greatly indebted to the workers of the Garden of Medicinal Plants, Maj Institute of Pharmacology PAS in Kraków, for cultivation of plants.

Supplementary Materials

The following are available online: Figure S1: Mass spectra and retention indices (RI) together with chemical structures of thymol derivatives detected in C. divaricatum essential oils, Figure S2: Mass spectra and experimental retention indices (RI) of unidentified compounds from C. divaricatum essential oils, Figure S3: Results of NMR analyses of crude fractions (obtained by flash chromatography) from C. divaricatum essential oils.

Click here for additional data file. (2.9MB, pdf)

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, A.S.; methodology, A.W.-B. and A.S.; investigation, A.W.-B., J.M., A.S.; resources, A.W.-B., J.M., A.S.; data curation, A.W.-B. and A.S.; writing—original draft preparation, A.W.-B., J.M., A.S.; writing—review and editing, A.S.; project administration, A.S.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Footnotes

Sample Availability: Samples of the compounds are not available from the authors.

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Associated Data

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Supplementary Materials

Click here for additional data file. (2.9MB, pdf)

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