Composition and biological activities of Salvia veneris Hedge growing in Cyprus

Abstract Salvia is a valuable genus whose species are rich in essential oils and phenolic compounds. Salvia species are used in perfumery and cosmetics industry and also in food industry as a source of essential oil and flavoring agents. In this study, the composition of essential oil and phenolic compounds of methanol extract from the aerial parts of Salvia veneris Hedge endemic to Cyprus were investigated by means of GC–MS and LC–MS/MS. Antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of the extract and essential oil were also studied. The antioxidant activity was determined by TEAC assay (Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity) and free radical scavenging activity (by DPPH ). A total of 36 constituents, representing 99.8% of the essential oil were identified. GC-FID and GC–MS analysis of the essential oil revealed the existence of 1,8-cineole (51.0%), camphor (9.3%), camphene (6.3%), α-pinene (5.8%) and β-pinene (5.4%) as main constituents. According to LC–MS/MS result, rosmarinic acid was found to be the major compound in the methanol extract whereas total phenol content was determined as 19 ± 0.20 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) in 100 mg in the extract. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of rosmarinic acid in the extract was examined. Aerial parts of S. veneris showed high level of rosmarinic acid with a value of 16.26 mg/g. No antiradical activity was observed in the essential oil however strong activity was seen in the methanolic extract. As to the antimicrobial activity, the MIC values ranged from 60 μg/mL to 4000 μg/mL for all tested microorganisms. According to these results, S. veneris could be considered as a new potential plant for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.