Chemical composition and spasmolytic activity of Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) Spreng. (Poaceae) essential oil from Sudan

The plants of genus Cymbopogon are well known for their use in traditional medicine and for their high content of essential oils that are widely used as flavoring agents, fragrances, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Essential oils isolated from the dried stems and inflorescence of cultivated Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) Spreng. (Poaceae) collected from Khartoum state (Sudan) in two periods were studied. The results of chemical analysis of C. schoenanthus revealed that this plant is rich in essential oil which is a valuable source of the commercially important monoterpene, piperitone (47.7-71.5%). Other abundant constituents of the oils were intermedeol (6.1-17.3%), δ-2-carene (4.5-10.0%) and elemol (2.7-9.0%). The essential oil from the inflorescence was tested for spasmolytic activity using three different experimental models: against spontaneous contractions, contractions induced with acetylcholine and contractions induced with potassium chloride. The oil exhibited strong, significant and dose-dependent spasmolytic activity, indicating the possibility for further investigations of this essential oil for its medicinal purposes or application in food industry. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no.173021 and Grant no. III41018