Prospects of Studying of Volatile Oils of Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz Bip. For Issues in Chemosystematics of Tanacetum Genus

The search for new sources of biologically active substances is an actual issue of pharmaceutical science. Feverfew is a prospective member of the Tanacetum genus. Recently an interest to this plant has grown. Sesquiterpene lactones and phenolic compounds are known to be cause its anti-inflammatory and antimigraine activity. The study of volatile compounds and chemosystematics of the feverfew in this group of BAS has not been conducted before. The aim of the research was to obtain the volatile oil from the feverfew herb, studying of the component composition, an identification of compounds, that can be used for chemosystematics of the genus and establishing of the pharmacological activity according to the chemical content of volatile oil. Materials and methods. The object of research was the samples of the feverfew herb grown and collected in the period of its mass flowering. The volatile oil obtained by steam distillation from the feverfew herb was studied using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results. The comparative characteristic of the representatives of the genus Tanacetum according to chemosystematic features was carried out. As a result of the research of the volatile oil 44 compounds were found, from which 40 were identified. According to the research, the raw material contained 34.71 % of camphor, this is a typical feature of all species of the genus Tanacetum. Fenchyl acetate was identified in a high enough content – 7,44 % in the domestic raw material, but this compound was not identified in the foreign samples. Chrysanthenyl acetate is accumulated in representatives of the genus Tanacetum in the form of a cis or trans isomer. In our study, the content of trans-chrysanthene acetate was 23.30 %. In the domestic raw materials, monoterpenes – α- and β- thujone – were not identified, which are associated with the toxicity of the raw material. Conclusions. In the volatile oil 44 compounds were found, from which 40 were identified. Monoterpenes prevailed among terpenes, namely camphor, trans-chrysanthenyl acetate and fenchyl acetate, which are typical and can be used for chemosystematic issues of the genus Tanacetum. The identified compounds require anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, analgesic activities of the volatile oil, therefore creation of the medicinal herbal remedy based on the volatile oil of the feverfew herb is prospective.