Screening of chemical composition of summer savory essential oils using solid-phase microextraction and GC-MC

Abstract

Problems related to medicinal, spice (aromatic) plants species diversity, enhancing and improving human health are solved according to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted regulations [1, 2]. The aim of this study is to investigate chemical composition of medicinal (aromatic) plant Summer savory. The object – Summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) – annual herbaceous plant from Lamiaceae Lindl. introduced in Lithuania in Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University since 1962 [3, 4]. The raw material of the medicinal plant is herb of Savory (Herba Saturejae). Aerial parts of plant are widely used in traditional medicine for cramps, digestion disorders and inflammations. Savory has antimicrobial, antiviral, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antidiarrheal properties related to high concentration of essential oils and polyphenols. The main biological active substances of essential oils are carvacrol, thymol, γ-terpinen, thymoquinone, o-cymene and β-caryophyllene. Phytochemical analysis of medicinal plant was performed using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry by determining essential oil components of Satureja hortensis L. raw material [5, 6]. The results obtained during qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the raw material essential oil demonstrated that this medicinal (aromatic) plant can be successfully cultivated in Lithuania and used in the pharmaceutical and food industriesBiochemijos katedraBotanikos sodasLietuvos sveikatos mokslų universitetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta