LAUSR

Opopanax hispidus (Friv.) Griseb. (Apiaceae) is perennial plant, up to 300 cm high. It has lobes usually 2–4 cm ovate to lanceolate with hispid (like the rhachis). Fruit is broadly elliptical with wide and thin border. This is widely distributed in the South part of the Balkan Peninsula, Aegean region, South Italy and Sicilia [1]. In Serbia, O. hispidus is considered a critically endangered taxon [2]. In Iran folk medicine the stem, leaves, and inflorescence of O. hispidus are used for antiseptic purposes [3], while in Turkish folk medicine the stem of O. hispidus is used to treat infertility of women [4]. Previous phytochemical study of aerial parts indicated that ethyl acetate extracts of the plant contain coumarins [5]. Ethyl acetate extracts of the fruits and inflorescence possess good antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli, as well as antioxidant activity due to sufficient quantities of total phenols and flavonoids [6]. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the chemical composition of the essential oil of O. hispidus fruits. Fruits of O. hispidus were collected in July 2010 at Rujan Mountain, Southeast Serbia and determined by one of the authors (V.N.R.). A voucher specimen (BEOU 16435) has been deposited at the Herbarium of the Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden “Jevremovac,” Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. Essential oil was obtained separately by hydrodistillation for 3 h using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Anhydrous sodium sulfate was used for desiccation of the oil. The oil was stored at a temperature of 4°C. The yield of essential oil was 0.015%. Analysis of the studied oil included use of GC-FID and GC-MS. GC analysis was accomplished with GC HP-5890 II apparatus. The split-splitless injector was connected to an HP-5 column and suited to FID. Analytic conditions were: flow rate of H2 1 mL/min, split ratio 1:30, temperature of injector 250°C, temperature of detector 300°C, temperature of column – programed from 40° to 240°C (at a rate of 4°/min). The same parameters were used for GC/MS analysis. HP G 1800C Series II GCD was also used with HP-5MS column (30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 μm film thickness). Transfer line was heated at 260°C. Mass spectra were acquired in EI mode (70 eV), in m/z range 40–400 and scan time 1.50 sec. All oil compounds were identified through comparison of retention times with standards, matching mass spectral data with MS libraries (NIST/NBS/AMDIS and Wiley 275), and using computer literature search [7]. Determination of the percentage contribution of the oil components was done by normalization method with data obtained by FID. The results of chemical analysis of the essential oil are presented in Table 1. The GC and GC/MS analysis resulted in the identification of 79 compounds, making up 96.47% of the total composition. The essential oil obtained from the fruit of O. hispidus was rich in labdane diterpenes (49.09%), acetate derivatives of diterpene (22.18%), and sesquiterpenes (7.17%). Dominant compounds of the oil were torulosol (48.82%), geranyl geraniol acetate (17.90%), and germacrene D (3.97%). It was found that labdane diterpenes exhibit cytotoxic, antifungal, antiinflammatory, and analgesic effects [8].