Chemical composition and biological activities of Dipterocarpus cornutus Dyer essential oil

Abstract The design of this study was developed to examine the chemical composition, anticholinesterase and anti-inflammatory inhibitory activities of the essential oil of Dipterocarpus cornutus Dyer from Malaysia. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the essential oil revealed 20 components, representing 94.6% of the oil. The major components identified were α-gurjunene (50.6%), α-selinene (8.3%), spathulenol (5.7%), and bicyclogermacrene (5.4%). Anticholinesterase and anti-inflammatory activity were also evaluated using the Ellman method and lipoxygenase (LOX) enzyme, respectively, in which the essential oil revealed weak inhibitory activity against the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (I%: 30.2%) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) (I%: 32.5%), while moderate inhibitory activity was reported in the LOX (I%: 70.2%). The approach adopted in this study and results are reported for the first time which could be useful for the characterization, pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications of the essential oil from Dipterocarpus genus.