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Generally, there are scant data about the constituents and eventually the biological activity of essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants that grow naturally in Sudan. The present study aimed to determine the chemical composition, and antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of EO extracted from the fruit of Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. (family Cupressaceae), root of Chrysopogon nigritanus (Benth.) Veldkampis (family Poaceae) and aerial part of Lavandula coronopifolia Poir (family Lamiaceae). The fruit of C. obtusa contained only monoterpenes, mainly hydrogenated ones, with α-pinene (69.07%) as the major component. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes comprised the highest content of the C. nigritanus root EO with cedr-8-en-15-ol (28.69%) as the major constituent while aerial parts of L. coronopifolia contained both monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes and the oxygenated monoterpene lavandulol (26.56%) as dominant compounds. The EO of the root of C. nigritanus significantly displayed (p < 0.05) the highest anti-DPPH radical, Fe3+- and Cu2+-reducing and metal-chelating activities, while that of C. obtusa fruit significantly exerted (p < 0.05) the best anti-ABTS radical and total antioxidant activity. The two EOs significantly exhibited (p < 0.05) the highest anti-acetylcholinesterase and -butyrylcholinesterase activities, respectively, while EO of L. coronopifolia was the only oil to show a considerable inhibitory effect against the tyrosinase and α-glucosidase enzymes. In conclusion, EOs from these three plants could be natural agents with promising functional properties for food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical applications.

The authors wish to make the following change to the funding section in their paper [1] [...]

Garcinia morella (Gaertn.) Desr. is an evergreen tree that yields edible fruits, oil, and resin. It is a source of “gamboge”, a gum/resin that has a wide range of uses. The fruits, leaves, and seeds of this tree are rich in bioactive compounds, including xanthones, flavonoids, phenolic acids, organic acids, and terpenoids. Evidence from different studies has demonstrated the antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral, hepatoprotective, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and larvicidal activities of the fruit, leaf, and seed extracts of G. morella. This review summarizes the information on the phytochemicals of G. morella and the biological activities of its active constituents.