Antioxidant and insecticidal potency of essential oil extract from lantana camara growing in Central Region of Ghana

Abstract

Since ancient times, essential oils have been employed in cuisine as spices or herbs as well as in fragrance, cosmetics, and medicine. Although their primary usage in the nineteenth century was as additives for scent and flavor, their original application was in medicine. In this study, essential oil was extracted from fresh leaves of Lantana camara using hydro-distillation procedure. The yield of the oil obtained was 12.68g which represented a 2.54% yield. Gas Chromatography -Mass Spectrometry Analysis of the oil revealed that the essential oil from Lantana camara contains total of 76 compounds representing 99.40% of the oil with (E)- Caryophyllene as the predominant compound in the oil extract constituting 20.60%. The total flavonoid Content as well as the Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) of the essential oil extract from Lantana camara was determined. The essential oil extract was also examined using UV-Vis spectrophotometer according to the phosphomolybdenum assay. The free radical scavenging activity of the essential oil extract was also determined using the DPPH assay. A comparison of the total phenolic content (TPC) and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the oil extract indicated a slight difference in activity of the TAC from the TPC, meaning there were more phenolic contents present in the oil extract, with a lower antioxidant capacity. Its (Lantana camara) widespread usage as a medicinal plant with the curative effect against a variety of diseases and conditions is supported by the presence of antioxidants in the essential oil.