Abstract:
The chemical constituents of the essential oils from three
Cymbopogon plants (
C. winteranus,
C. citratus and
C. distans) were detected by GC-MS. Their antioxidant activity was investigated by the scavenging rate of DPPH free radicals and anti-inflammatory activity were evaluated by inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells. The results showed that terpenoids were the main chemical constituents of essential oils from three
Cymbopogon plants, with the content of 76.35%~90.52%, of which terpene aldehydes and terpene alcohols were the highest. The main components of
C. winteranus,
C. citratus and
C. distans were (+)-citronellal (37.85%), trans-citral (36.12%) and geraniol (34.76%), respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the three essential oils was dose-dependent, but lower than that of ascorbic acid (IC
50=(0.005±0.002) mg/mL). At a lower concentration (2~4 μg/mL), the ability of three essential oil to reduce NO production was similar to dexamethasone (Dex, 10 μmol/L). The results showed that the three essential oils of
Cymbopogon had significant anti-inflammatory activity,
C. citratus (IC
50 =(0.472±0.121) μg/mL) had the best anti-inflammatory activity, followed by
C. winteranus (IC
50 = (0.632±0.147) μg/mL) and
C. distans (IC
50 =(0.669±0.131) μg/mL). Thus they have great development potential as anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-inflammatory products.