The potential health benefits of the essential oils of six different populations of Origanum heracleoticum L. from Calabria (Italy) were assessed, together with the evaluation of the influence of the site of collection on their metabolic profile and biological activity. Different terpenoids were identified, being thymol, carvacrol and o-cymene among the most abundant ones. Hierarchical cluster analysis allowed the identification of two main groups, which were discriminated by the altitude of collection. The antioxidant activity was tested by means of two in vitro assays: DPPH and β-carotene bleaching test. Samples EO-4 and EO-3 were the most active in protecting linoleic acid from peroxidation, with IC50 values of 4.00 and 4.68 μg/mL after 30 minutes of incubation. The anti-inflammatory potential was assessed through the evaluation of the capacity to inhibit NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line. All essential oils induced a dose-depending inhibitory effect. An excellent activity was demonstrated for sample EO-4, followed by sample EO-3 (IC50 values equal to 32.77 and 49.48 μg/mL, respectively). Observed biological properties were correlated to the phytochemical content of analyzed samples.
StefanakiA., CookC.M., LanarasT., KokkiniS. (2016) The Oregano plants of Chios Island (Greece): Essential oils of Origanum onites L. growing wild in different habitats. Industrial Crops and Products, 82, 107–113.
2.
CarrascoA., PerezE., CutillasA.B., Martinez-GutierrezR., TomasV., TudelaJ. (2016) Origanum vulgare and Thymbra capitata essential oils from Spain: Determination of aromatic profile and bioactivities. Natural Product Communications, 11, 113–120.
StoilovaI., BailS., BuchbauerG., KrastanovA., StoyanovaA., SchmidtE., JirovetzL. (2008) Chemical composition, olfactory evaluation and antioxidant effects of an essential oil of Origanum vulgare L. from Bosnia. Natural Product Communications, 3, 1043–1046.
5.
D'AntuonoL.F., GallettiG.C., BocchiniP. (2000) Variability of essential oil content and composition of Origanum vulgare L. populations from a North Mediterranean Area (Liguria Region, Northern Italy). Annals of Botany, 86, 471–478.
6.
De MartinoL., De FeoV., FormisanoC., MignolaE., SenatoreF. (2009) Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils from three chemotypes of Origanum vulgare L. ssp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart growing wild in Campania (Southern Italy). Molecules, 14, 2735–2746.
7.
RussoM., GallettiG.C., BocchiniP., CarnaciniA. (1998) Essential oil chemical composition of wild populations of Italian oregano spice (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart): A preliminary evaluation of their use in chemotaxonomy by cluster analysis. 1. Inflorescences. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 46, 3741–3746.
8.
De MastroG., TarrafW., VerdiniL., BrunettiG., RutaC. (2017) Essential oil diversity of Origanum vulgare L. populations from Southern Italy. Food Chemistry, 235, 1–6.
9.
ČabarkapaI., ŠkrinjarM., MilovanovićI., PlavšićD., PalićD., KokićB., ArsićI. (2012) Antimicrobial activity of Origanum heracleoticum L. essential oil from Serbia. AgroFOOD industry hi-tech, 5, 55–58.
10.
KulisicT., RadonicA., KatalinicnV., MilosM. (2004) Use of different methods for testing antioxidative activity of oregano essential oil. Food Chemistry, 85, 633–640.
11.
TsimogiannisD., StavrakakiM., OreopoulouV. (2006) Isolation and characterisation of antioxidant components from oregano (Origanum heracleoticum). International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 41, 39–48.
12.
VeresK., VargaE., SchelzZ., MolnarJ., BernathJ., MatheI. (2007) Chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of essential oils of four lines of Origanum vulgare subsp hirtum (Link) Ietswaart grown in Hungary. Natural Product Communications, 2, 1155–1158.
13.
ConfortiF., MarrelliM., MenichiniF., TundisR., StattiG.A., SolimeneU., MenichiniF. (2011) Chemical composition and protective effect of oregano (Origanum heracleoticum L.) ethanolic extract on oxidative damage and on inhibition of NO in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 26, 404–411.
14.
AeschbachR., LöligerJ., ScottB.C., MurciaA., ButlerJ., HalliwellB., AruomaO.I. (1994) Antioxidant actions of thymol, carvacrol, 6-gingerol, zingerone and hydroxytyrosol. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 32, 31–36.
15.
YanishlievaN.V., MarinovaE.M., GordonM.H., RanevaV.G. (1999) Antioxidant activity and mechanism of action of thymol and carvacrol in two lipid systems. Food Chemistry, 64, 59–66.
16.
BryanN.S., GrishamM.B. (2007) Methods to detect nitric oxide and its metabolites in biological samples. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 43, 645–657.
17.
KavoosiG., Teixeira da SilvaJ.A., SaharkhizM.J. (2012) Inhibitory effects of Zataria multiflora essential oil and its main components on nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 64, 1491–1500.
18.
BourgouS., PichetteA., MarzoukB., LegaultJ. (2010) Bioactivities of black cumin essential oil and its main terpenes from Tunisia. South African Journal of Botany, 76, 210–216.
19.
ConfortiF., MarrelliM., StattiG., MenichiniF., UzunovD., SolimeneU., MenichiniF. (2012) Comparative chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi subsp. glandulosa (Req.) Nyman and Calamintha grandiflora (L.) Moench (Labiatae). Natural Product Research, 26, 91–97.
20.
MarrelliM., CristaldiB., MenichiniF., ConfortiF. (2015) Inhibitory effects of wild dietary plants on lipid peroxidation and on the proliferation of human cancer cells. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 86, 16–24.
21.
MarrelliM., StattiG.A., MenichiniF., ConfortiF. (2017) Echinophora tenuifolia L. inflorescences: phytochemistry and in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Plant Biosystems, 151, 1073–1081.
22.
MarrelliM., ConfortiF., TonioloC., NicolettiM., StattiG., MenichiniF. (2014) Hypericum perforatum: Influences of the habitat on chemical composition, photo-induced cytotoxicity, and antiradical activity. Pharmaceutical Biology, 52, 909–918.
