Essential oil composition and antioxidant activity of Reinwardtiodendron cinereum Mabb. (Meliaceae)

This study was designed to investigate the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil from Reinwardtiodendron cinereum (Hiern) Mabb. growing in Malaysia. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and fully analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The analysis led to the identification of thirty-five components representing 83.6% of the total oil. The most abundant components were α-zingiberene (15.4%), pimaradiene (10.1%), (E)-caryophyllene (7.5%), and β-elemene (6.3%). The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, total phenolic content, and β-carotene linoleic acid bleaching assays. The essential oil showed weak activity in DPPH radical scavenging (IC50 value of 105.2 μg/mL), phenolic content (45.5 ± 0.2 mg GA/g), and β-carotene linoleic acid bleaching (52.5 ± 0.2%) assays. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the chemical composition and antioxidant activities of the essential oil report concerning the genus Reinwardtiodendron.