Chemical composition of the essential oil and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from fruits and flowers of Hypericum lydium Boiss.

This study was conducted to evaluate the essential oil composition and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from fruits and flowers of Hypericum lydium Boiss., a wild growing species of the Turkish flora. The antioxidant activities were determined through several biochemical assays. Both extracts showed an inhibitory effect against the formation of TBARS in a phosphatidylcholine liposome model system, moderate scavenging effect on DPPH and superoxide radicals, prominent reducing power and inhibitory effect on deoxyribose degradation in both the nonsite and site-specific assay, but a greater hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was observed in the non-site specific assay, suggesting that the extracts were better at scavenging hydroxyl radicals than at chelating iron. Correlation analysis indicated that there was a linear relationship between antioxidant potency, free-radical scavenging activity, reducing power and the content of flavonoids of fruits and flowers extracts. The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation were analyzed by GC and GC–MS. In total forty-three compounds were identified. The most abundant components were monoterpenes hydrocarbons represented principally by α-pinene. The tested oil showed no antioxidant activity.

► We investigated the essential oil content and its antioxidant activity together with methanolic extracts obtained from fruity and flowered aerial parts of Hypericum lydium.
► GC and GC/MS analysis revealed 43 compounds in the oil represented mainly by α-pinene.
► We used five different biochemical assays to test antioxidant activities.
► Methanolic extracts indicated good antioxidant capacities whereas the essential oil showed no activity.
► Both extracts with antioxidant properties might be used as natural source in the food and pharmaceutical industries.