The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of the Tunisian Hypericum perforatum and H. ericoides ssp. roberti was elucidated by a combination of GC and GC-MS analyses. The main constituents of the oil of H. perforatum were α-pinene (11.8%), α-ylangene (10.4%), germacrene-D (9.5%), n-octane (6.5%) and α-selinene (5.9%). The oil of H. ericoides ssp. roberti exhibited a higher amount of aliphatic and branched hydrocarbons and the main constituents were n-octane (29.1%), α-pinene (10.9%), pulegone (7.7%) and acetophenone (7%). Both qualitative and quantitative differences were observed between the studied oils. This chemical variability seems likely to result from the genetic variability, since samples of both species were collected at the same location and processed under the same conditions.
UptonE. (1997) St. John's wort: Hypericum perforatum. American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium. American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, 95, 14863–14868.
2.
BarnesJ, AndersonLA, PhillipsonJD. (2001) St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.): a review of its chemistry, pharmacology and clinical properties. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 53, 583–600.
3.
BiliaAR, GalloriS, VincieriFF. (2002) St. John's wort and depression: efficacy, safety and tolerability-an update. Life Sciences, 70, 3077–3096;
4.
CakirA, KordaliS, KilicH, KayaE. (2005) Antifungal properties of essential oil and crude extracts of Hypericum linarioides Bosse. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 33, 245–256.
5.
Po ShiuWK, GibbonsS. (2006) Anti-staphylococcal acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum beanie. Phytochemistry, 67, 2568–2572.
6.
HasanK, CarlaB, SoniaP, EnginC, IremA, GüldemM, ErdemY. (2009) Phenolic compounds from Hypericum calycinum and their antioxidant activity. Natural Product Communications, 4, 531–534.
CouladisM, BaziouP, VerykokidouE, LoukisA. (2002) Antioxidant activity of polyphenols from Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 16, 769–770.
9.
AbreuIN, PortoALM, MarsaioliAJ, MazzaferaP. (2004) Distribution of bioactive substances from Hypericum brasiliense during plant growth. Plant Science, 167, 949–954.
10.
SchwobI, BessiereJM, MasottiV, VianoJ. (2004) Changes in essential oil composition in Saint John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) aerial parts during its phenological cycle. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 32, 735–745.
11.
PetrakisPV, CouladisM, RoussisV. (2005) A method for detecting the biosystematic significance of the essential oil composition: the case of five Hellenic Hypericum L. species. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 33, 873–898.
12.
ÇirakC, RadušieneJC, AmasN. (2008) Pseudohypericin and hyperforin in two Turkish Hypericum species: variation among plant parts and phenological stages. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 36, 377–382.
13.
HosniK, MsaâdaK, Ben TaâritM, OuchikhO, KallelM, MarzoukB. (2008) Essential oil composition of Hypericum perfoliatum L. and Hypericum tomentosum L. growing wild in Tunisia. Industrial Crops and Products, 27, 308–314.
14.
HosniK, MsaâdaK, Ben TaâritM, HammamiM, MarzoukB. (2010) Bioactive components of three Hypericum species from Tunisia: A comparative study. Industrial Crops and Products, 31, 158–163;
15.
FicoG, VitaliniS, ColomboN, TomèF. (2006) Hypericum perforatum L., H. maculatum Crantz., H. calycinum L. and H. pulchrum L.: Phytochemical and morphological studies. Natural Product Communications, 1, 1129–1132;
16.
PetrunakE, KesterAC, LiuY, Bowen-ForbesCS, NairMG, HenryGE (2009) New benzophenone O-glucoside from Hypericum ellipticum. Natural Product Communications, 4, 507–510.
17.
AyanAK, ÇirakC, GüneyK. (2008) Seasonal variation of hypericin and pseudohypericin contents in Hypericum scabrum L. growing wild in Turkey. Natural Product Communications, 3, 241–244.
18.
ÇamaşN, RadušieneJ, AyanAK, ÇirakC, JanulisV, IvanauskasL. (2008) Variation of bioactive secondary metabolites in Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra from wild populations of Turkey. Natural Product Communications, 3, 1713–1717.
BrolisM, GabettaB, FuzzatiN, PaceR, PanzeriF, PeterlongoF. (1998) Identification by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection–mass spectrometry and quantification by high performance liquid chromatography–UV absorbance detection of active constituents of Hypericum perforatum. Journal of Chromatography A, 825, 9–16.
21.
SchwobI, BessiereJM, VianoJ. (2002) The composition of essential oils of St. John's wort, Hypericum perforatum (Guttiferae), from South-Eastern France. Comptes Rendus Biologie, 7, 781–785.
22.
BaserKHC, OzekT, NuriddinovHR, DemirciAB. (2002) Essential oil of two Hypericum species from Uzbekistan. Chemistry of Natural Compounds, 38, 54–57.
23.
SmelcerovicA, SpitellerM, LigonAP, SmelcerovicZ, RaabeN. (2007) Essential oil composition of Hypericum L. species from southeastern Serbia and their chemotaxonomy. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 35, 99–113.
24.
SaroglouV, MarinPD, RancicA, VeljicM, SkaltsaH. (2007) Composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of six Hypericum species from Serbia. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 35, 146–152.
25.
ErkenS, MalyerH, DemirciF, DemirciB, BaserKHC. (2001) Chemical investigations on some Hypericum species growing in Turkey-I. Chemistry of Natural Compounds, 37, 434–438;
26.
MathisC, OurissonG. (1964) Étude chimio-taxonomique du genre Hypericum II. Identification de constituants de diverses huiles essentielles d'Hypericum. Phytochemistry, 3, 115–131.
27.
SantosPAG, FigueiredoAC, BarrosoJG, PedroLG, SchefferJJC. (1999) Composition of the essential oil of Hypericum foliosum Aiton from five Azorean islands. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 14, 283–286.
28.
BertoliA, MenichiniF, MazzettiM, SpinelliG, MorelliI. (2003) Volatile constituents of the leaves and flowers of Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 18, 91–94;
29.
AbreuNI, ReisMG, MarsaioliAJ, MazzaferaP. (2003) Essential oil composition of Hypericum brasiliense Choise. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 19, 80–82.
30.
NogueiraT, Marcelo-CurtoMJ, Cristina FigueiredoA, BarrosoJG, PedroLG, RubioloP, BicchiC. (2008) Chemotaxonomy of Hypericum genus from Portugal: Geographical distribution and essential oils composition of Hypericum, perfoliatum, Hypericum humifusum, Hypericum linarifolium and Hypericum pulchrum. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 36, 40–50.
31.
RadusieneJ, JudzentieneA, BernotieneG. (2005) Essential oil composition and variability of Hypericum perforatum L. growing in Lithuania. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 33, 113–124.
32.
TognoliniM, BarocelliE, BallabeniV, BruniR, BianchiA, ChiavariniM, ImpicciatoreM. (2006) Comparative screening of plant essential oils: Phenylpropanoid moiety as basic core for antiplatelet activity. Life Sciences, 78, 1419–1432.
33.
SchwobI, BessiereJM, DherbomezM, VianoJ. (2002) Composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Hypericum coris. Fitoterapia, 73, 511–513;
34.
Pottier-AlapetiteG, (1979) Flore de la Tunisie, Angiospermes-Dicotylédones, Imprimerie Officielle de la République Tunisienne. 506–509;
35.
AdamsR. (2001) Identification of essential oil Components by gas chromatography/quadrupole mass spectroscopy. Allured, Carol Stream IL, USA.
