Analysis of lipophilic fraction from leaves, inflorescences and rhizomes of Silphium perfoliatum L.

This paper presents a qualitative and quantitative chromatographic analysis (GC/MS) of the lipophilic fraction extracted from leaves, inflorescences and rhizomes of Silphium perfoliatum L. collected in 1998-2000. It was shown that the extracts of leaves and inflorescences are similar in composition, containing among their main constituents: α-amyrine (up to 13.9% of total components in leaves, up to 11.3% in inflorescences), heptacosane (up to 7.1% in leaves, up to 7.6% in inflorescences), stigmasterol (up to 8.1% in leaves, up to 2.2% in inflorescences), γ-sitosterol (up to 6.9% in leaves, up to 2.2% in inflorescences), β-amyrine (up to 4.1% in leaves, up to 5.8% in inflorescences), β-caryophyllene (up to 2.6% in leaves, up to 1.5% in inflorescences), caryophyllene oxide (up to 4.4% in leaves, up to 2.9% in inflorescences), germacrene D (up to 13.8% in leaves, up to 9.7% in inflorescences) and α-pinene (up to 3.3% in leaves, up to 2.4% in inflorescences). The chemical composition of lipophilic extract of rhizomes significantly differs from that of leaves and inflorescences. The following compounds can be counted among the dominant ones occurring in rhizome extracts: diterpene of labdane type - 16-acetoxycarterochaetol (up to 45%) and sesquiterpenes - 7-b-H-silphiperfol-5-ene (up to 9.1%), 7-a-H-silphiperfol-5-ene (up to 10.7%), d-elemene (up to 7.6%), isocomene (up to 5.6%), germacrene D (up to 5.2%) and modhephene (up to 5.1%).