Essential oil composition and antioxidant activity of two Juniperus communis L. varieties growing wild in Serbia

The genus Juniperus L. (Cupressaceae) consists of ca. 67 species and 34 varieties. Juniperus communis L. grows on dry hills or mountainous tracts and is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere. A typical variety J. communis L. var. communis was collected in Deliblatska peščara (Deliblato Sands) and variety J. communis L. var. saxatilis Pall. in Kopaonik Mountain. Needle essential oils were obtained using Clevenger apparatus and analyzed using GC/MS and GC/FID. Antioxidant activity of essential oils was evaluated using DPPH assay. A total of 78 compounds were detected and identified. Both oils are characterized by high abundance of monoterpenes. The main constituents of J. communis var. communis essential oil were sabinene (39.4%), α-pinene (13.3%), myrcene (4.7%) and terpinen-4-ol (3.7%), while J. communis var. saxatilis essential oil had α-pinene (34.9%), sabinene (20.3%), δ-3-carene (6.4%) and germacrene B (6.3%) as the most abundant components. DPPH test showed IC50 values 0.66 mg/ml for J. communis var. communis and 0.32 mg/ml for J. communis var. saxatilis. Although antioxidant activity was weaker than used standards (BHT and L-ascorbic acid) it is still significant