Phytochemical Profiling, Volatile Oil Characterization, and Radical Scavenging Traits of Cymbopogon citratus Essential Oils

International Journal of Chemistry | Vol. 6, No. 8, August 2015 | pp. 57–64

DOI: 10.46882/2015/IJC/000083

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Phytochemical Profiling, Volatile Oil Characterization, and Radical Scavenging Traits of Cymbopogon citratus Essential Oils

Names of Authors: S. A. Abdulrahman¹, E. C. Dumont²*

Authors’ Affiliations:
¹Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria.
²Department of Pharmacy, University of Paris-Sud, Châtenay-Malabry, France.

Abstract: Cymbopogon citratus (Lemongrass) is extensively utilized in traditional medicine due to its sedative and antimicrobial activities, yet geographical soil variations heavily alter its essential oil yield. This research maps the qualitative chemical constituents, determines volatile bioactives via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and evaluates the antioxidant profiles of essential oils extracted from lemongrass leaves cultivated in Central Nigeria. Essential oils gathered via hydro-distillation in a Clevenger apparatus were separated into 16 distinct peaks via GC-MS, with citral (composed of geranial, 38.4% and neral, 28.2%), myrcene (12.4%), and geraniol (6.5%) emerging as the dominant active constituents. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated in vitro utilizing the DPPH radical scavenging assay and the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) test, using standard ascorbic acid as a control benchmark. The essential oil displayed significant free radical scavenging traits, yielding an IC50 value of 45.8 μg/mL, compared to 10.2 μg/mL achieved by standard reference antioxidants. A linear correlation was observed between the high citral content and radical neutralization indices, confirming that monoterpene aldehydes are the driving contributors to cellular protective performance.

Keywords: Cymbopogon citratus; Essential oils; GC-MS profiling; Monoterpenes; DPPH assay; Antioxidant activity

Manuscript Timeline: Received: February 15, 2015; Revised: April 02, 2015; Accepted: May 12, 2015; Published: August 03, 2015.

Citation: Abdulrahman, S. A., & Dumont, E. C. (2015). Phytochemical Profiling, Volatile Oil Characterization, and Radical Scavenging Traits of Cymbopogon citratus Essential Oils. International Journal of Chemistry, 6(8), 57–64.

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