Chemical Composition and Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Essential Oils and Extracts of Algerian Cardaria draba (L.) Desv.

This study reports the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the essential oils extracted by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts and the leaves of Cardaria draba (L.) Desv. (Brassicaceae family) growing in the West Northern of Algeria. The volatile components of the aerial parts and the leaves were determined using both GC and GC-MS techniques which allowed the identification of thirty nine constituents accounting for 68.25 % and 77.63 % of the total oils, respectively. The major components were 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone (aerial parts : 20.61 %; leaves : 11.08 %) and (E)-phytol (aerial parts : 11.38 %; leaves : 39.67 %). Total phenolic contents of six extracts of the leaves and the stems of C. draba were estimated by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The ethanolic extract of the leaves was found to possess the highest total phenolic content (57.79mg of Gallic acid equivalent/g of plant extract). The antioxidant activity of the aerial parts oil and the extracts of C. draba was assessed using DPPH test. The ethanolic extract of the leaves showed a significant DPPH scavenging capacity (IC50 = 0.53mg/ml).