COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THYMUS SERPYLLUM L. AND THYMUS MARSCHALLIANUS WILLD. ESSENTIAL OILS BY GAS-LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH MASS SPECTROMETRY DETECTION

Introduction. Plant essential oils are natural sources of the different compounds, the action of which in the macroorganism is determined by their chemical composition, depending on environmental factors, including plant species. Aim. The aim of the study was to compare the chemical composition of essential oils, obtained from the aerial parts of Thymus serpyllum L. and Thymus marschallianus Willd. (Lamiaceae). Material and methods. The plant raw materials of Thymus marschallianus were collected in the flowering phase in the Saratov region in June, the plant raw materials of Thymus serpyllum were purchased in the pharmacy network. The essential oils were obtained by Ginsberg’s steam hydrodistillation method. Analysis of their chemical composition was performed by gas-liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry detection. Results. The main components of both types of the essential oils were represented by thymol and its isomers, their mass fraction in the essential oil of T. marschallianus is 38.4, in the essential oil of T. serpyllum is 44%. The comparative analysis was carried out using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney criterion. Statistically significant differences with 95% probability were established for tricyclic sesquiterpene alkenes, the total content of which in the essential oil of T. marschallianus is 4.73%, in the essential oil of T. serpyllum – 3.59%. Conclusion. According to their chemical composition the essential oils of the mentioned plant species belong to phenolic chemotype and are similar in the major compounds.