CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITY OF Syzygium pyrifolium (Blume) DC. ESSENTIAL OIL

This study aims to investigate the chemical composition and acetylcholinesterase activity of essential oil from Syzygium pyrifolium leaves. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and its chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-two volatile components were identified in S. pyrifolium leaves oil, including geraniol (73.8%), ?-pinene (7.0%), ?-pinene (5.7%) and (E)-?-ocimene (4.5%) as the major components. Acetylcholinesterase activity was evaluated using Ellman method and the essential oil showed strong inhibitory activity (I%: 82.5%). Our findings demonstrate that S. pyrifolium essential oil could be useful for an alternative raw material of food and medicinal products for pharmaceutical applications.