Identification of the main compounds of Agastache Foeniculum essential oil by TLC and chemotype express-determination

Abstract

Topicality. Agastache foeniculum essential oil has bactericidal, fungicidal and anti-inflammatory effects. Depending on the dominant component of the essential oil, five Agastache chemotypes have been distinguished. So, identification of the main compounds of Agastache foeniculum essential oil in other to find markers for the chemotype determination and standardization of raw materials is advisable. The purpose of the research was to study the possibility of identifying the main terpenoids in the Agastache foeniculum raw materials by the method of “cold” thin layer chromatography (TLC) for the chemotype determination. Materials and methods. The TLC was used for investigation with ethyl acetate – toluene (1:19) as mobile phase and special conditions: a temperature of elution +15o C and drying of chromatographic plates in a stream of cool air. Research results. Menthol, linalool and pulegone by the method of “cold” TLC, in the Agastache foeniculum raw material grown in Kyiv were identified. The predominance of pulegone allows us to attribute the raw materials to pulegone chemotype. Estragole and limonene were identified in the Agastache foeniculum raw material grown in Kherson region with a predominance of estragole that allows us to attribute this raw material to the estragole chemotype. Conclusions. The technique above of terpenoids identification ensures the specificity of the determination of the main components of Agastache foeniculum essential oil for the chemotype determination and its standardization.