Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activities of the Essential Oils of Different Parts of Cupressus arizonica Greene

The essential oils of different parts of Cupressus arizonica were examined for their potential radical scavenging activity. Fresh leaves and fruits of C. arizonica were steam distilled and the oils were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by GC and GC/MS. Different methods of rapid TLC screening, DPPH assay, desoxyribose assay, assay for site-specific reaction and non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation were employed to evaluate possible antioxidant activity of the oils and their main components, as well as the positive controls. The main components of these essential oils were alpha-pinene, cymene, myrcene, limonene, sabinene hydrate, cedrane and germacrene D. In rapid TLC screening, the tested compounds mainly showed antioxidant activity. In DPPH assay the stronger antioxidant effects were shown by the fruit oil of C. arizonia. In deoxyribose degradation assay test, most of the tested compounds showed some antioxidant effects. In non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation test, most antioxidant activity was shown by the fruit oil.