Fatty Acid Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Hexane Extract from Root and Seed of Chaerophyllum crinitum Boiss

The hexane extracts from root and seed of Chaerophyllum crinitum Boiss. which were collected from northwestern Iran, were obtained by Soxhlet apparatus. The fatty acids were derived to methyl esters and determined by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) systems. The extracts from the seed and root were characterized by a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) (52.6% and 49.9%, respectively) and some of sesquiterpenoid compounds. The main components of the seed and root extracts were ω-3 (23.2 %and 18.5 %), 6-octadecenoic acid (20.2 and 14.3 %), carotol (16.9 %and 12.8 %), ω-6 (9,12-octadecadienoic acid) (8.8% and 6.4%) and (-)-β-acoradiene (5.1 %and 7.3 %)respectively. The hexane extract from seed of C. crinitum detected as an important source of unsaturated fatty acid compounds. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts of those samples were determined against seven Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae), as well as three fungi (Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger). The bioassay showed that the both oils exhibited good antimicrobial activity. This study reveals that the all parts of this plant are attractive sources of fatty acid components. © 2011, Har Krishan Bhalla & Sons.