Aromas from Quebec. VI. Morella pensylvanica from the Magdalen Islands: a (-)-α-bisabolol-rich oil featuring a new bisabolane ether

Abstract

Aerial parts of northern bayberry (Morella pensylvanica (Mirbel) Kartesz) from the Magdalen Islands were submitted to steam distillation to evaluate both yield and composition of essential oil and hydrosol. It yielded 0.15% (m/m) of a pleasantly scented essential oil featuring a different composition than that reported in Connecticut. This oil appeared to be rich in (-)-α-bisabolol, β-caryophyllene, linalyl acetate, geraniol and γ-terpinene. It also contained a new α-bisabolol derivative that was identified as 2,2,6-trimethyl-6-(4-methylcyclohex-3-en-1-yl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran, and named Magdalen ether. The hydrosol contained 160 mg/L of aromatic compounds among which α-bisabolol, linalool, α-terpineol and α-bisabolol oxide B, and a few minor phenolic compounds. The oil was tested for its cytotoxicity in vitro on WS-1 human fibroblasts and was shown to be four times less cytotoxic than the generally recognized as safe α-bisabolol, but did not show anti-inflammatory properties through inhibition of nitrous oxide production by murine macrophages.

Keywords:

• Morella pensylvanica (Mirbel) Kartesz
• essential oil composition
• hydrosol composition
• α-bisabolol
• anti-inflammatory activity
• NMR spectroscopy
• Magdalen ether

Acknowledgements

We thank Groupe BoreaRessources for pilot scale distillation and Yves Leblanc for the plant harvest and delivery to the distillation site.