CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL FROM THE LEAVES OF CIPADESSA BACCIFERA (ROTH.) MIQ.

Cipadessa baccifera (Roth.) Miq. of Meliaceae family, is an ethnobotanically important plant and is widely used in folklore medicine for treating a range of maladies including diabetes, dysentery, malaria, rheumatism, piles, head ache, and psoriasis. The present study was aimed at investigating the essential oil composition from the leaves of C. baccifera. The essential oil was extracted through hydrodistillation and its chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry technique (GC-MS). The yield of essential oil based on the dry weight of the plant was 1.1% (v/w). Forty one different phytoconstituents accounting for 99.62% of essential oil were identified. The study showed the presence of Sesquiterpenes as the major group of compounds representing 78.14% of the total essential oil. Significant Sesquiterpenes identified were Caryophyllene (17.32%), Isoledene (9.12%), 1S, Cis-Calamenene (7.42%) and beta-Sesquiphellandrene(7.32%). Sesquiterpenes are known to exhibit pharmacological activities and the present report could contribute for their further use as anticancer, immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agents.