Antioxidant potency and GC-MS composition of Origanum majorana Linn.

The methanolic extract of the leaves of Origanum majorana L., was screened for its antioxidant potential and chemical composition. Apart from high total phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidant contents, significant free radical scavenging ability was observed as assessed by the free radical scavenging assays viz., 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl, Ferric thiocyanate, Thiobarbituric acid, Ferric reducing antioxidant power and ABTS assays. The GC-MS analysis of the methanolic extract detected the presence of seven compounds - 5H-Cyclopropa[3,4]benz[1,2-e]azulen-5-one, 3,9,9a-tris (acetyloxy)-3-[(acetyloxy)methyl]-2-chloro-1,1a,1b,2,3,4,4a,7a,7b,8,9,9a-dodecahydro-4a,7b-dihydroxy-1,1,6,8-tetrame-thyl-,[1aR-(1aa,1ba,2a,3a,4aa,7aa,7ba,8a,9a,9aa)]-; Pentacosanoic acid, methyl ester; 10-Octadecenoic acid, methyl ester; 1,2,4-Trioxolane-2-octanoic acid, 5-Octyl-, methyl ester; Oleoyl chloride; Docosanedioic acid, dimethyl ester and Ethyl iso-allocholate.