Composition and Bioactivities of an (E)-β-Farnesene Chemotype of Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla) Essential Oil from Nepal

Abstract

The essential oil of Matricaria chamomilla, collected from Nepal, was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. The major components in Nepalese chamomile oil were ( E)-β-farnesene (42.2%), α-bisabolol oxide A (22.3%), ( E,E)-α-farnesene (8.3%), cis-bicycloether (5.0%), α-bisabolol oxide B (4.5%), and α-bisabolone oxide A (4.0%). A cluster analysis based on the chemical compositions of 48 samples of chamomile oil reported in the literature has revealed seven chemotypes, and the oil from Nepal represents the ( E)-β-farnesene chemotype. The chamomile oil was screened for antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger, and toxicity toward MCF-7 breast tumor cells, Artemia salina, Chaoborus plumicornis, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster.