Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of essential oil from Magnolia grandiflora L. seed

The chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Magnolia grandiflora L. seed essential oil were examined. By combining gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS), 16 types of compounds were identified, including 40.91% oxygen-containing terpene derivatives, 19.51% terpenes, 13.97% esters, 13.05% nitrogenous compounds, and 3.64% acids. Its capability of removing hydroxyl free radical was lower than that of Vc, but it was closer to Vc with increasing concentration. In cell experiment, all essential oil concentration (6.9, 13.8, 27.7, 55.5, 111.0, and 222.0 g/mL) groups increased cell proliferation by 26% or more (26.0%, 38.8%, 44.8%, 40.2%, 35.8%, and 30.4%, respectively). In rat experiment, the SD rats group showed an at least 38% rise (38.62%, 61.68%, and 62.86%, respectively) in glutathione-peroxisome (GSH-Px)activity, which is more than 24% reduction (29.56%, 24.30%, and 36.93%) in malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and no significant difference in SOD activity was found. The results show that the essential oil had strong antioxidant activity, without dose effect within the concentration range.