Chromatography-mass spectrometric study of the chemical composition of Myrtus communis L. leaf essential oil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14739/2409-2932.2025.2.322669Keywords:
Myrtus communis, volatile organic compounds, chromatography-mass spectrometryAbstract
Myrtus communis is a common species in tropical and subtropical regions. Myrtle is cultivated as an ornamental plant in areas with a temperate climate, such as Ukraine. It was introduced to the Nikitskyi Botanical Garden in 1967. The pharmacological properties of galenic preparations derived from Myrtus communis are primarily determined by the presence of essential oils. Galenic preparations from myrtle leaves have general tonic, antimicrobial (notably demonstrating high bactericidal activity against gram-positive bacteria and antibiotic and resistant strains, Mycobacterium tuberculosis), analgesic, astringent, expectorant, and anti-inflammatory effects. For a comprehensive study of this plant, it is essential to investigate the volatile fractions of its raw material.
The aim of the work is to conduct a chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis of the chemical composition of Myrtus communis L. leaf essential oil.
Materials and methods. The object of the study is the essential oil of Myrtus communis, cultivated at the Department of Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology and Botany of Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, and obtained through hydrodistillation. Qualitative and quantitative determination of the essential oil components was carried out using the chromatography-mass spectrometric method on a high-performance gas chromatograph “Agilent 7890B GC System” (Agilent, SantaClara, CA, USA) with a mass spectrometric detector “Agilent 5977 BGC/MSD” (Agilent, SantaClara, CA, USA) and a DB-5ms chromatographic column (30 m × 250 μm × 0.25 μm). The component identification was performed using the NIST14 mass spectral library.
Results. Chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis revealed the presence of 42 key volatile compounds in Myrtus communis leaf essential oil, three of which were in isomeric forms. The five major components were myrtenyl acetate (24.12 %), linalool (16.73 %), cyclofenchene (10.37 %), o-xylene (7.85 %) and myrtenol (4.35 %). Terpenes were identified as the dominant group in Myrtus communis leaves, comprising 72.04 %.
Conclusions. The chemical composition of Myrtus communis leaf essential oil showed some differences compared to literature data that deal with geographical features (temperature, soil quality, day length), harvesting time and genotype variations. The research findings can serve as a basis for developing new pharmaceutical and cosmetic products containing myrtle essential oil. Besides, the analysis of the chemical composition of the essential oil can contribute to improving extraction technology and standardizing essential oils.
References
Saeedi M, Iraji A, Vahedi-Mazdabadi Y, Alizadeh A, Edraki N, Firuzi O, et al. Cinnamomum verum J. Presl. Bark essential oil: in vitro investigation of anti-cholinesterase, anti-BACE1, and neuroprotective activity. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022;22(1):303. doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03767-y. Erratum in: BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022;22(1):314. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-022-03809-5
Hennia A, Nemmiche S, Dandlen S, Miguel MG. Myrtus communis essential oils: insecticidal, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities: a review. J Essent Oil Res. 2019;31(6):487-545. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10412905.2019.1611672
González-de-Peredo AV, Vázquez-Espinosa M, Espada-Bellido E, Ferreiro-González M, Amores-Arrocha A, Palma M, et al. Discrimination of Myrtle Ecotypes from Different Geographic Areas According to Their Morphological Characteristics and Anthocyanins Composition. Plants (Basel). 2019;8(9):328. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8090328
Dhouibi I, Flamini G, Bouaziz M. Comparative Study on the Essential Oils Extracted from Tunisian Rosemary and Myrtle: Chemical Profiles, Quality, and Antimicrobial Activities. ACS omega. 2023;8(7):6431-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c06713
Kundu A, Dutta A, Mandal A, Negi L, Malik M, Puramchatwad R, et al. A Comprehensive in vitro and in silico Analysis of Nematicidal Action of Essential Oils. Front Plant Sci. 2021;11:614143. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.614143
Thoma JL, Cantrell CL, Zheljazkov VD. Evaluation of Essential Oils as Sprout Suppressants for Potato (Solanum tuberosum) at Room Temperature Storage. Plants (Basel). 2022;11(22):3055. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223055
Ghavami MB, Poorrastgoo F, Taghiloo B, Mohammadi J. Repellency Effect of Essential Oils of some Native Plants and Synthetic Repellents against Human Flea, Pulex irritans (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). J Arthropod Borne Dis. 2017;11(1):105-15.
Caputo L, Capozzolo F, Amato G, De Feo V, Fratianni F, Vivenzio G, et al. Chemical composition, antibiofilm, cytotoxic, and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities of Myrtus communis L. leaves essential oil. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022;22(1):142. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-022-03583-4
Bowbe KH, Salah KB, Moumni S, Ashkan MF, Merghni A. Anti-Staphylococcal Activities of Rosmarinus officinalis and Myrtus communis Essential Oils through ROS-Mediated Oxidative Stress. Antibiotics (Basel). 2023;12(2):266. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12020266
Mahboubi M, Ghazian Bidgoli F. In vitro synergistic efficacy of combination of amphotericin B with Myrtus communis essential oil against clinical isolates of Candida albicans. Phytomedicine. 2010;17(10):771-4. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2010.01.016
Belahcene S, Kebsa W, Omoboyowa DA, Alshihri AA, Alelyani M, Bakkour Y, et al. Unveiling the Chemical Profiling Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Algerian Myrtus communis L. Essential Oils, and Exploring Molecular Docking to Predict the Inhibitory Compounds against Cyclooxygenase-2. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023;16(10):1343. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16101343
Ben Hsouna A, Dhibi S, Dhifi W, Mnif W, Ben Nasr H, Hfaiedh N. Chemical composition and hepatoprotective effect of essential oil from Myrtus communis L. flowers against CCL4-induced acute hepatotoxicity in rats. RSC Adv. 2019;9(7):3777-87. doi: https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ra08204a
Mansour RB, Beji RS, Wasli H, Zekri S, Ksouri R, Megdiche-Ksouri W, et al. Gastroprotective Effect of Microencapsulated Myrtus communis Essential Oil against Ethanol/HCl-Induced Acute Gastric Lesions. Molecules. 2022;27(5):1566. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27051566
Saraiva C, Silva AC, García-Díez J, Cenci-Goga B, Grispoldi L, Silva AF, et al. Antimicrobial Activity of Myrtus communis L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L. Essential Oils against Listeria monocytogenes in Cheese. Foods. 2021;10(5):1106. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10051106
Boroujeni LS, Hojjatoleslamy M. Using Thymus carmanicus and Myrtus communis essential oils to enhance the physicochemical properties of potato chips. Food Sci Nutr. 2018;6(4):1006-14. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.597
Kaya DA, Ghica MV, Dănilă E, Öztürk Ş, Türkmen M, Albu Kaya MG, et al. Selection of Optimal Operating Conditions for Extraction of Myrtus Communis L. Essential Oil by the Steam Distillation Method. Molecules. 2020;25(10):2399. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25102399
Et-Tazy L, Lamiri A, Satia L, Essahli M, Krimi Bencheqroun S. In Vitro Antioxidant and Antifungal Activities of Four Essential Oils and Their Major Compounds against Post-Harvest Fungi Associated with Chickpea in Storage. Plants. 2023;12(20):3587. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12203587
Mumivand H, Izadi Z, Amirizadeh F, Maggi F, Morshedloo MR. Biochar amendment improves growth and the essential oil quality and quantity of peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) grown under waste water and reduces environmental contamination from waste water disposal. J Hazard Mater. 2023;446:130674. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130674
Shahbazian D, Karami A, Raouf Fard F, Eshghi S, Maggi F. Essential Oil Variability of Superior Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Accessions Grown under the Same Conditions. Plants. 2022;11(22):3156. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223156
Yarahmadi R, Mumivand H, Ehtesham Nia A, Raji MR, Argento S. Natural Diversity in Total Phenol, Flavonoids, Antioxidant Properties, and Essential Oil Composition of Iranian Populations of Myrtus communis L. Plants. 2024;13(24):3458. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13243458
Derzhavna Farmakopeia Ukrainy [The State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine]. 2nd ed. Kharkiv, (UA): State Enterprise Ukrainian Scientific Pharmacopoeial Center of Medicines Quality; 2015. Ukrainian.
Panasenko OI, Aksonova II, Denysenko OM, Mozul VI, Holovkin VV. [Investigation of chemical composition of Ailanthus Altissima (Mill.) Swingle]. Current issues in pharmacy and medicine: science and practice. 2020;13(3):341-8. Ukrainian. doi: https://doi.org/10.14739/2409-2932.2020.3.216188
Ouedrhiri W, Mechchate H, Moja S, Mothana RA, Noman OM, Grafov A, et al. Boosted Antioxidant Effect Using a Combinatory Approach with Essential Oils from Origanum compactum, Origanum majorana, Thymus serpyllum, Mentha spicata, Myrtus communis, and Artemisia herba-alba: Mixture Design Optimization. Plants. 2021;10(12):2817. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122817
Shahbazian D, Karami A, Raouf Fard F, Eshghi S, Maggi F. Essential Oil Variability of Superior Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Accessions Grown under the Same Conditions. Plants. 2022;11(22):3156. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223156
Moura D, Vilela J, Saraiva S, Monteiro-Silva F, De Almeida JM, Saraiva C. Antimicrobial Effects and Antioxidant Activity of Myrtus communis L. Essential Oil in Beef Stored under Different Packaging Conditions. Foods. 2023;12(18):3390. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12183390
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 O. Ye. Matsehorova, V. M. Odyntsova

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.