In vitro study of anti-glycation and radical scavenging activities of the essential oils of three plants from Morocco: Origanum compactum, Rosmarinus officinalis and Pelargonium asperum

Introduction: We have carried out our study on the chemical composition; anti-glycation andradical scavenging activities of Origanum compactum, Rosmarinus officinalis and Pelargonium asperum essential oils (EO) that were harvested in the northeast of Morocco. These plants have been traditionally used in medicine as a chief ingredient of many polyherbal formulations for the treatment of several pathologies. Method: The phytochemical study was revealed by GC-MS. The protein glycation inhibitory activity of EO extracted from these plant tissues was evaluated in vitro using the model system of bovine serum albumin and methylglyoxal. The measure of DPPH• radical reducing power was used to evaluate the antiradical activity. To test each fraction, we used the IC50 value previously obtained for the crude oils. Results: The phytochemical study of these essential oils showed that p-Thymol, Eucalyptol and Citronellal were respectively the major components in the three investigated EO of O.compactum, R. officinal is and P. asperum. More than 90% of the total components were detected. The extracts and fractions with glycation inhibitory activity also showed antiradical activity when the DPPH• radical reducing power was measured. Conclusion: The glycation inhibitory activity was correlated with the antiradical potency of the extracts. Thus, the positive glycation inhibitory and antiradical activities of these plants might suggest a possible role in targeting aging and diabetic complications.The presence of various bioactive compounds confirms the application of these plants for various diseases by traditional practitioners. However, isolation of individual phytochemical constituents may proceed to find a novel drug.