Essential oil composition from the seeds of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen grown in Hainan, China

Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen is a rare species with high economical value and medicinal properties. Lignum Dalbergiae Odoriferae (D. odorifera), the heartwood of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen is used as a kind of Chinese medicine to treat ischemic and cardiovascular diseases. In spite of the uses in folk medicine, little is known about the composition of the seeds and their possible bioactivities. Essential oil composition of the seeds of D. odorifera T. Chen (Leguminosae) is reported for the first time. The purpose of the study was to analyze the major components of seeds, to compare them with the heartwood reported previously and to find out the intrinsic relationship. The essential oil was obtained by simultaneous distillation and extraction (SDE). The chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-one compounds representing 93.8% of the essential oil were characterized. Major components identified were P,P,P-triphenyl phosphine imide (35.3%), bis(1-methylethyl) peroxide(16.4%), 1-methyl-1H-pyrrole (5.2%), 3,3,6-trimethyl-1,5-heptadien-4-one (4.7%), 1H-pyrrole (3.9%), 4-ethenyl-2-methoxyphenol (3.9%), 2-beta-pinene (3.5%), 3-(1-methylethyl) phenol (2.0%), formic acid n-pentyl ester (2.0%), glycidol (1.7%) and phenol (1.6%).