Comparison of the chemical compositions of the essential oils from the aerial parts, fruits and roots of Nigerian Laportea aestuans (L.) chew (urticaceae)

Abstract

Essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation, using an all-glass apparatus, from the aerial parts, fruits and roots of Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew were analyzed using GC and GC-MS. From the oil of the aerial parts, 27 out of the 33 detected compounds, representing 95.1% of the total oil, were characterized. For the fruit oil, 10 out of 12 detected compounds were identified (89.3% of total), and for the root oil 19 of the 22 compounds (98.6%). The dominant components of the oil of the aerial parts were methylcyclohexane (20.9%), isodecyl octyl 1,2-benzenedicarboxylate (9.2%), di-n-octyl phthalate (9.0%), bis(7-methyloctyl)phthalate (7.0%), and toluene (6.9%); in the fruit oil, butyl 8-methylnonyl-1,2-benzenedicarboxylate (14.6%), 8-decyloxy-3-phenyl-2,4,7- trioxabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-9-ene (13.7%), dicyclohexyl-1,2-benzene dicarboxylate (13.6%), didodecyl phthalate (12.0%), and butyl-8-methylnonyl-1,2- benzenedicarboxylate (11.3%); and in the root oil, di-n-octyl phthalate (36.8%), butyldecyl-1,2-benzenedicarboxylate (7.5%), bis(2-ethylhexyl)hexanedioate (6.4%), butyl-2-ethylhexyl-1,2-benzenedicarboxylate (5.4%), and bis(2-ethylbutyl)-1,2-benzenedicarboxylate (5.0%)].