Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Pimpinella khorasanica L. Engstrand Oil in Iran

Chemical composition of the hydrodistilled essential oils of the aerial parts, inflorescence at flowering stage and seeds at seeding stages of Pimpinella khorasanica (Umbelliferae Family) were characterized by GC and GC-MS. The yields of stem/leaf, inflorescence and seed oils were 0.3 %, 2.4 % and 3.0 % w/w, respectively. The oil analysis confirmed the characterization of thirteen, ten and ten compounds in stem/leaf, inflorescence and seed accounting for 91.3 %, 95.8 % and 91.5 % of the total oil, respectively. Analysis of the oil showed that it was rich in (E)-beta-farnesene (48.6 %, 55.3 % and 54.1 %) as the main component in all oils followed by Ar-curcumene (17.8 % and 10.1 %) and foeniculin (6.3 % and 5.3 %) in stem/leaf and inflorescence, respectively. The other major compounds in seed oil were pregeijerene (15.8 %) and alpha-zingiberene (11.1 %). Study of antimicrobial activity was done by disk diffusion method. The results of analysis of variation showed that there was significant difference (<= 0.01) between treatments in all designs.