Essential oils (EOs) are very complex mixtures composed of natural volatile constituents. They are produced by aromatic plant specialized glands as defensive secondary metabolites. Due to the EOs complexity, deep qualitative and quantitative investigations are necessary to explore their composition, to guarantee their genuineness and to allow a rational investigation about their potential biological activities. In this context, a broad-spectrum method was developed to investigate EOs from different plant genera and species by means of GC-MS and GC-FID techniques. The chemical characterization developed in this work had a key role in classification, selection and explanation of the possible biological activity of the each EO, which was evaluated on several microorganisms and cancer cell lines. The study was focused on autochthonous EOs obtained from plants cultivated in Italy or in other countries, with particular attention to Lavandula angustifolia P. Miller, Lavandula x intermedia Emeric ex Loisel., Thymus vulgaris L. and Cedrelopsis grevei H. Baillon.

Advanced analytical techniques for the phytochemical investigation of essential oils

251st National Meeting (2016)

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