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Article

Chemical Composition and Monoterpenoid Enantiomeric Distribution of the Essential Oils from Apharsemon (Commiphora gileadensis)

1
Agricultural Research Organization, Unit of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Newe Ya’ar Research Center, POB 1021, Ramat Yishay 30095, Israel
2
Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA
3
Aromatic Plant Research Center, 615 St. George Square Court, Suite 300, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Submission received: 13 August 2017 / Revised: 31 August 2017 / Accepted: 7 September 2017 / Published: 12 September 2017

Abstract

:
Background: Commiphora gileadensis (Hebrew: apharsemon) has been used since Biblical times to treat various ailments, and is used today in the traditional medicine of some Middle Eastern cultures. Methods: The essential oils from the stem bark, leaves, and fruits of Commiphora gileadensis—collected at the Ein Gedi Botanical Garden, Israel—were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. In addition, the enantiomeric distributions of the monoterpenoids in the essential oils have been determined by chiral gas chromatography. Results: The essential oils were dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons, followed by oxygenated monoterpenoids. The major components in C. gileadensis oils were the monoterpenes α-pinene (11.1–18.4%), sabinene (15.8–35.9%), β-pinene (5.8–18.0%), p-cymene (4.8–8.4%), limonene (1.3–6.2%), γ-terpinene (0.7–8.1%), and terpinen-4-ol (5.3–18.5%). The (–)-enantiomers predominated for α-pinene, sabinene, β-pinene, limonene, and terpinen-4-ol. Conclusions: The chemical compositions of the C. gileadensis essential oils from Israel are markedly different from previously reported samples, which were rich in sesquiterpenoids. Likewise, the enantiomeric distribution of monoterpenoids is very different from Boswellia spp. essential oils.

Graphical Abstract

1. Introduction

Commiphora gileadensis (L.) C. Chr. (syn. C. opobalsamum (L.) Engl.) is an medium-sized aromatic shrub native to the Red Sea area, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Kenya [1]. In 1763, the renowned scholar and botanist Carl Linnaeus received a specimen collected in Yemen from his student Peter Forsskål, and identified it as the Biblical “Balm of Gilead” [2,3,4]. Today, there is widespread agreement among scholars that C. gileadensis is one of the myrrh species of the Burseraceae and the source of the legendary “Balm of Judea” (“Balsam”) perfume.
C. gileadensis is also known in Hebrew as “apharsemon” (5). The plant is indigenous to the land of Israel and emits a thick aromatic sap, from which the renowned perfume was made. Various historical sources point out that apharsemon was cultivated intensively in the Jordan Valley and Ein Gedi, in the western Dead Sea basin as a crop, and its perfume was admired and traded at a high price during Biblical times, during the time of the Second Jewish Temple, and during the Roman and Byzantine eras [5,6,7]. Archeological excavations around the Ein Gedi oasis in Israel, on the north-west shore of the Dead Sea, unraveled furnace-like structures, jars, and other objects dating from the sixth century B.C.E. that were comparable with those found in perfume-making workshops. This supports the historical references. In the 1990s, C. gileadensis was reintroduced to Israel and is currently cultivated in Ein Gedi, near the Dead Sea [8], renewing a long lost part of Jewish history in the land of Israel.
C. gileadensis has been used historically to treat a wide array of ailments [9,10,11,12,13], and is used today in the traditional medicine practices of some cultures in the Middle East. In Yemen and Oman, the bark exudate is used externally to treat skin disorders such as burns, wounds, and infections [6,14,15]. Among the Arab populations in the Middle East, a decoction of the aerial parts of the plant is administered as a pain reliever, a diuretic, and a laxative [16,17]. In 2010, Iluz et al. [6] investigated the medicinal properties of C. gileadensis and demonstrated that its sap had an inhibitory effect against Bacillus cereus and was capable of blocking lectins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This confirms the historical sources that indicated the antiseptic properties of the balsam’s sap. In 2012, Amiel et al. [18] further supported this finding by showing that (E)-caryophyllene was a key component in C. gileadensis essential oil, that the balsam’s stem extracts acted against cancerous tumor cells, and had apoptosis-inducing properties that acted selectively, eradicating tumor cells, but not healthy cells.
Although C. gileadensis has been an important medicinal plant throughout history, information about the essential oil composition of wild C. gileadensis is lacking. Therefore, in this work, the essential oil compositions attained from the stem bark, leaves, and fruits of wild C. gileadensis collected in Ein Gedi, Israel were determined and compared to the composition of commercially used C. gileadensis oil. In addition, to further characterize the essential oils, the enantiomeric distributions of the monoterpenoids in C. gileadensis essential oils were determined.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Plant Material

Leaves, stems, and fruits of C. gileadensis were collected at the Ein Gedi Botanical Garden. The plant was identified and collected by Nativ Dudai. Plant parts were placed within a Clevenger-type apparatus for 1.5 h and the essential oil was hydro-distilled. The commercial samples were produced by a steam distillation apparatus and supplied by the grower Mr. Guy Erlich from his plantation at Almog (near the Dead Sea), Israel.

2.2. Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

The essential oil compositions of wild and commercial C. gileadensis were analyzed by GC-MS using a Shimadzu GCMS-QP2010 Ultra (Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Columbia, MD, USA) operated in the electron impact (EI) mode (electron energy = 70 eV) with a scan range of 40–400 amu and a scan rate of 3.0 scans/s, and GC-MS solution software. The GC column was a ZB-5 fused silica capillary column (Phenomenex, Torrance, CA, USA), 30 m length × 0.25 mm inner diameter, with a (5% phenyl)-polymethylsiloxane stationary phase and a film thickness of 0.25 μm. The carrier gas was helium, with a column head pressure of 552 kPa and flow rate of 1.37 mL/min. Injector temperature was 250 °C and the ion source temperature was 200 °C. The GC oven temperature program was set for an initial temperature of 50 °C and increased at a rate of 2 °C/min to 260 °C. A 5% w/v solution of the sample in CH2Cl2 was prepared, and 0.1 µL was injected with a splitting mode of 30:1. Identification of the oil components was based on retention indices determined by reference to a homologous series of n-alkanes, and by comparison of their mass spectral fragmentation patterns with those reported in the literature [19] and stored in our in-house MS library. Percentages were determined based on total ion current integrations of the peak areas, and are uncorrected.

2.3. Chiral Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Chiral analysis of the essential oils of wild and commercial C. gileadensis was performed on a Shimadzu GCMS-QP2010S (Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Columbia, MD, USA) operated in the EI mode (electron energy = 70 eV) with a scan range of 40–400 amu and a scan rate of 3.0 scans/s The GC was equipped with a Restek B-Dex 325 capillary column (Restek Corp., Bellefonte, PA, USA) (30 m × 0.25 mm ID × 0.25 μm film). The oven temperature began at 50 °C, and was then gradually raised to 120 °C at a rate of 1.5 °C/min. After reaching 120 °C, the oven temperature was increased to 200 °C at 2 °C/min intervals and kept at this temperature for 5 min. Helium was the carrier gas, and the flow rate was maintained at 1.8 mL/min. Samples were diluted to 3% w/v with CH2Cl2, and a 0.1 µL sample was injected in a split mode at a split ratio of 1:45. The monoterpenoid enantiomers were identified by comparison of retention times with authentic samples obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (Milwaukee, WI, USA). Relative enantiomer percentages were determined based on peak areas.

3. Results and Discussion

The essential oil compositions of C. gileadensis are compiled in Table 1. The essential oils were dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons, followed by oxygenated monoterpenoids. The major components in C. gileadensis oils were the monoterpenes α-pinene (11.1–18.4%), sabinene (15.8–35.9%), β-pinene (5.8–18.0%), p-cymene (4.8–8.4%), limonene (1.3–6.2%), γ-terpinene (0.7–8.1%), and terpinen-4-ol (5.3–18.5%). Sesquiterpenoid concentrations were very low in these samples, and constituted only 0.8%, 10.6%, and 2.4% in the stem, leaf, and fruit oils, respectively. A representative gas chromatogram is shown in Figure 1.
A previous examination of C. gileadensis oils from aerial parts and flowering tops collected in Makkah, Saudi Arabia showed a complete absence of monoterpene hydrocarbons, but there were high concentrations of terpinen-4-ol (8.5% and 9.8%), and of sesquiterpenoids: δ-cadinene (5.0% and 4.8%), α-calacorene (9.4% and 3.8%), viridiflorol (4.6% and 4.4%), τ-muurolol (4.5% and 3.5%), and cadalene (4.3% and 5.4%) [20]. Another investigation of C. gileadensis oil from leaves and fruits from Ein Gedi, Israel showed high concentrations of α-pinene (7.2%) and sabinene (21.1%), and richness in sesquiterpenes (E)-caryophyllene (20.1%) and germacrene D (19.6%) [18]. The high concentrations of sesquiterpenes in these earlier studies are in marked contrast to the C. gileadensis oils examined in the present study, suggesting a wide variation of essential oil compositions within the population of this plant species.
A preponderance of sesquiterpenoids over monoterpenoids in members of Commiphora has been previously shown for C. kua [21] and C. habessinica [22], where monoterpenoids have not been detected); and for C. parvifolia [23], where monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpenoids were present at a level of 16%. On the other hand, C. tenuis from Ethiopia was rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons with 60.8% α-pinene, 8.8% β-pinene, 8.9% α-thujene, 6.3% sabinene, and 5.5% limonene, but had only trace amounts of sesquiterpenoids [24].
Commiphora leptophloeos leaf essential oil had nearly equal concentrations of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes with α-phellandrene (26.3%), β-phellandrene (12.9%), (E)-caryophyllene (18.0%), α-humulene (5.5%), and germacrene D (5.6%) predominating [25]. In contrast, C. ornifolia essential oil showed no monoterpene hydrocarbons and only 4.7% sesquiterpene hydrocarbons; the bulk of the essential oil composition was made up of oxygenated monoterpenoids (56.3%) and oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (16.4%) [23].
Although the C. gileadensis essential oils were dominated by monoterpenoids, several of these have demonstrated antimicrobial activity, validating the use of exudates from this plant to treat burns, wounds, and infections. Thus, for example, α-pinene [26,27], sabinene [28], β-pinene [29], p-cymene [30,31], limonene [29], γ-terpinene [32], and terpinen-4-ol [32,33] have shown antimicrobial activities.
The enantiomeric distributions of the monoterpenoids in C. gileadensis essential oils are summarized in Table 2. The (−)-enantiomers predominated in α-thujene, α-pinene, sabinene, β-pinene, limonene, terpinen-4-ol, and α-terpineol. Borneol and bornyl acetate showed exclusively the (−)-enantiomers, but (+)-linalool and (+)-linalyl acetate predominated over the (−)-enantiomers. The chiral gas chromatogram of the leaf oil is shown in Figure 2. Currently, there is little information about the enantiomeric distribution of terpenoids in members of the Burseraceae, and apparently none regarding Commiphora spp. However, Boswellia species have been examined (Table 2) [34,35,36]. Boswellia carterii essential oil from Somalia also showed predominantly the (−)-enantiomers in α-thujene, α-pinene, sabinene, β-pinene, and limonene [35]. Basar and co-workers found that (+)-α-thujene dominates in B. carterii from Ethiopia [34]. In contrast, the (+)-enantiomers dominated in α-thujene, α-pinene, sabinene, and β-pinene in B. sacra essential oil from Oman [35]. On the other hand, analysis of a Boswellia sp. from Somalia showed (−)-α-thujene, (+)-α-pinene, (+)-sabinene, (+)-limonene, and (+)-terpinen-4-ol predominating [36]. (−)-Bornyl acetate was observed in the B. carterii sample from Ethiopia [34].
Chiral gas chromatography has been used as an analytical technique to detect outliers from authenticated oils and the possible adulteration of commercially important essential oils [37]. Since C. gileadensis has the potential for commercial utilization, this study serves to establish the enantiomeric distributions of the monoterpenoids in authentic unadulterated C. gileadensis essential oils. In addition, this work provides a comparison between C. gileadensis and other members of the Burseraceae (Boswellia spp.).

4. Conclusions

The chemical composition of essential oils from the stems, leaves, and fruits of Commiphora gileadensis have been shown to be rich in monoterpenoids, but a dearth of sesquiterpenoids, in contrast to previous reports of C. gileadensis essential oils; there is apparently wide variation in C. gileadensis volatiles. The enantiomeric distribution of monoterpenoids showed little variation between the different essential oil samples of C. gileadensis, contrasted markedly from Boswellia spp. essential oils.

Acknowledgment

We are grateful to Guy Erlich for providing the commercial sample of C. gileadensis essential oil.

Author Contributions

N.D. and P.S. conceived and designed the experiments; N.D., A.S. and P.S. performed the experiments; P.S. and W.N.S. analyzed the data; N.D., P.S. and W.N.S. wrote the paper.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Figure 1. Gas chromatogram of the leaf essential oil of Commiphora gileadensis. The major components are indicated: a, α-thujene; b, α-pinene; c, camphene; d, sabinene; e, β-pinene; f, myrcene; g, p-cymene; h, limonene; i, γ-terpinene; j, terpinolene; k, cis-p-menth-2-en-1-ol; l, terpinen-4-ol; m, bornyl acetate; n, (E)-caryophyllene; o, germacrene D; p, 1,10-di-epi-cubenol.
Figure 1. Gas chromatogram of the leaf essential oil of Commiphora gileadensis. The major components are indicated: a, α-thujene; b, α-pinene; c, camphene; d, sabinene; e, β-pinene; f, myrcene; g, p-cymene; h, limonene; i, γ-terpinene; j, terpinolene; k, cis-p-menth-2-en-1-ol; l, terpinen-4-ol; m, bornyl acetate; n, (E)-caryophyllene; o, germacrene D; p, 1,10-di-epi-cubenol.
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Figure 2. Chiral gas chromatogram of the leaf essential oil of Commiphora gileadensis. The major components are indicated: a, (+)-α-thujene; b, (−)-α-thujene; c, (+)-α-pinene; d, (−)-α-pinene; e, (+)-β-pinene; f, (−)-β-pinene; g, (+)-sabinene; h, (−)-sabinene; i, myrcene; j, (+)-limonene; k, α-terpinene; l, (−)-limonene; m, p-cymene; n, terpinolene; o, γ-terpinene; p, (−)-borneol; q, (+)-terpinen-4-ol; r, (−)-terpinen-4-ol; s, (−)-bornyl acetate; t, (−)-α-terpineol; u, (+)-α-terpineol; v, (E)-caryophyllene; w, germacrene D; x, 1,10-di-epi-cubenol.
Figure 2. Chiral gas chromatogram of the leaf essential oil of Commiphora gileadensis. The major components are indicated: a, (+)-α-thujene; b, (−)-α-thujene; c, (+)-α-pinene; d, (−)-α-pinene; e, (+)-β-pinene; f, (−)-β-pinene; g, (+)-sabinene; h, (−)-sabinene; i, myrcene; j, (+)-limonene; k, α-terpinene; l, (−)-limonene; m, p-cymene; n, terpinolene; o, γ-terpinene; p, (−)-borneol; q, (+)-terpinen-4-ol; r, (−)-terpinen-4-ol; s, (−)-bornyl acetate; t, (−)-α-terpineol; u, (+)-α-terpineol; v, (E)-caryophyllene; w, germacrene D; x, 1,10-di-epi-cubenol.
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Table 1. Chemical compositions of the essential oils of wild and commercial Commiphora gileadensis.
Table 1. Chemical compositions of the essential oils of wild and commercial Commiphora gileadensis.
RI aCompoundsWild Plant PartsCommercial
StemLeafFruitOil
890Styrene0.1 0.1
900Nonane 0.1
921Tricyclene0.10.10.10.1
924α-Thujene2.81.61.61.7
932α-Pinene15.411.215.918.4
946α-Fenchenetr b tr
948Camphene1.41.00.71.5
952Thuja-2,4(10)-diene 0.1
9646-Methylheptan-2-oltr 0.1
972Sabinene28.515.835.929.1
977β-Pinene7.55.818.08.2
988Myrcene2.81.72.21.7
1002Octanal 0.1
1003p-Mentha-1(7),8-diene (Pseudolimonene) tr
1006α-Phellandrene0.40.2tr0.2
1008δ-3-Carenetr
10141,4-Cineole 0.1
1016α-Terpinene3.01.80.12.0
1024p-Cymene4.88.45.36.4
1028Limonene1.91.96.21.3
1029β-Phellandrene1.61.41.31.0
10311,8-Cineole0.20.2 0.2
1034(Z)-β-Ocimene0.60.70.30.8
1044(E)-β-Ocimene0.10.3tr0.1
1057γ-Terpinene8.15.80.75.9
1068cis-Sabinene hydrate0.10.10.10.2
1084Terpinolene1.21.30.20.7
1088p-Cymenenetr0.1tr0.1
1098α-Pinene oxide 0.1
1098Linalool0.10.1 1.0
1099trans-Sabinene hydratetr 0.10.1
1103Nonanal tr
11122-Methyl-6-methylen-octa-1,7-dien-3-one 0.1
1123cis-p-Menth-2-en-1-ol0.70.80.20.2
1124Cyclooctanone0.10.1trtr
1126allo-Ocimenetr tr
11274,5-Epoxy-trans-carene tr
1134Terpin-3-en-1-oltr0.1
1139trans-Pinocarveol0.10.20.10.5
1141trans-p-Menth-2-en-1-ol0.40.70.20.2
1143trans-Verbenol0.1 tr0.1
1145Camphor 0.1
1155Sabina ketonetr0.10.10.1
1160Pinocarvone tr0.1
1167α-Phellandrene epoxide trtr
1170Borneol0.10.30.10.4
1180Terpinen-4-ol11.618.55.36.9
1182Thuj-3-en-10-al tr
1183p-Methylacetophenonetr tr
1185p-Cymen-8-ol0.10.40.20.2
1190Myrtenol trtrtr
1193α-Terpineol1.32.60.70.9
1195cis-Piperitol0.20.20.1
1204Decanal 0.6
1206Verbenone 0.1
1207trans-Piperitol0.30.60.10.1
1216endo-Fenchyl acetatetr tr
1217trans-Carveol tr
1223Nerol tr
1241Cuminaldehyde 0.1
1248Linalyl acetatetr 4.4
1255Methyl citronellate0.10.1 0.1
12701-Decanol tr
1278cis-Linalool oxide acetate (pyranoid)tr0.1 tr
1282Bornyl acetate2.94.40.43.3
1285Isobornyl acetatetr0.1tr0.1
1287Thymoltr0.1
1291p-Menth-1-en-9-ol tr
1294Terpinen-4-ol acetatetr 0.1
1295Carvacrol0.10.3 tr
1300Tridecene tr
1317p-Mentha-1,4,-dien-7-ol 0.1
1321p-Menth-8-en-1,7-diol 0.1
1321Methyl decanoate0.10.1 tr
1339p-Cymene-8-ol acetate 0.1
1345α-Terpinyl acetate 0.1
1349Eugenoltr
1356Neryl acetatetr 0.1
1360Decanoic acid tr
1367α-Ylangene 0.2
1374α-Copaene tr
1376Geranyl acetate 0.1
1381α-Bourbonene 0.1
1397Methyleugenol0.10.1
1407Dodecanal 0.1
1417(E)-Caryophyllene0.11.90.1tr
14396,9-Guaiadiene 0.1
1447trans-Muurola-3,5-diene 0.2
1453α-Humulenetr0.1tr
1457Alloaromadendrene 0.1tr
1476γ-Curcumene0.1
1479Germacrene D0.11.20.20.1
1489Viridiflorenetr0.1
1493Bicyclogermacrenetr0.1
1496α-Muurolene 0.10.1tr
1500epi-Zonarenetr0.1
1502(E,E)-α-Farnesene 0.1 tr
1505β-Bisabolenetr0.1 0.1
1511γ-Cadinenetr0.4tr
1516δ-Cadinene0.10.30.3tr
1526α-Panasinsen 0.1
1559(E)-Nerolidol 0.2
1569(3E)-Hex-3-enyl benzoate 0.1
1574Spathulenol 0.90.3
1580Caryophyllene oxide 0.5trtr
1583Globulol 0.2
1592Viridiflorol tr
16131,10-di-epi-Cubenol0.22.6 tr
1630iso-Spathulenol 0.1
1637Alloaromadendrene epoxide 0.20.1
1640α-Muurolol (Torreyol)tr0.20.1
1642τ-Muurolol 0.10.2
1644δ-Cadinol 0.10.1
1653α-Cadinoltr0.40.8
1657Eudesm-4(15),7-dien-1α-ol 0.1tr
1666β-Atlantonetr
1688Eudesma-4(15),7-dien-1β-ol 0.1
1730Oplopanone 0.1
1860Platambin 0.1tr
Monoterpene hydrocarbons80.259.088.679.4
Oxygenated monoterpenoids18.630.08.019.5
Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons0.54.90.70.3
Oxygenated sesquiterpenoids0.35.71.7tr
Others0.30.41.00.2
Total Identified99.9100.0100.099.4
a RI = Retention index determined with respect to a homologous series of n-alkanes on a ZB-5 column. b tr = trace (<0.05%).
Table 2. Enantiomeric distribution [(+):(−)] of monoterpenoids from Commiphora gileadensis and Boswellia species essential oils.
Table 2. Enantiomeric distribution [(+):(−)] of monoterpenoids from Commiphora gileadensis and Boswellia species essential oils.
CompoundsC. gileadensisB. sacra [35]B. carterii [35]Boswellia sp. [36]
StemLeafFruitCommercial
α-Thujene30:7029:7128:7228:7273.5:26.53.8:96.243:5736:64
α-Pinene25:7528:7229:7128:7289.2:10.840.5:59.583:1776:34
Sabinene8:928:928:927:9387.5:12.514.5:85.593:798:2
β-Pinene3.5:96.53:973.7:96.33:9775.2:24.840.8:59.2
Limonene33:6732:6832:6831.6:68.421.3:78.727.0:73.073:2765:35
Linalool59:4159:41 60:40
Borneol0:1000:1000:1000.1:99.9
Terpinen-4-ol30:7031:6930:7030:70 81:1971:29
α-Terpineol30:7032:6830:7031:69
Linalyl acetate 99:1
Bornyl acetate0:1000:1000:1000:100

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Dudai, N.; Shachter, A.; Satyal, P.; Setzer, W.N. Chemical Composition and Monoterpenoid Enantiomeric Distribution of the Essential Oils from Apharsemon (Commiphora gileadensis). Medicines 2017, 4, 66. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/medicines4030066

AMA Style

Dudai N, Shachter A, Satyal P, Setzer WN. Chemical Composition and Monoterpenoid Enantiomeric Distribution of the Essential Oils from Apharsemon (Commiphora gileadensis). Medicines. 2017; 4(3):66. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/medicines4030066

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dudai, Nativ, Alona Shachter, Prabodh Satyal, and William N. Setzer. 2017. "Chemical Composition and Monoterpenoid Enantiomeric Distribution of the Essential Oils from Apharsemon (Commiphora gileadensis)" Medicines 4, no. 3: 66. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/medicines4030066

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