Title: Effects of air pollution on production of essential oil in Feijoa Sellowiana Berg. grown in the 'Italian Triangle of Death'

Authors: Adriana Basile, Bruno Botta, Maurizio Bruno, Daniela Rigano, Sergio Sorbo, Barbara Conte, Sergio Rosselli, Felice Senatore

Addresses: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. ' Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Sapienza University of Roma, Rome, Italy. ' Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Parco d'Orleans II, 90128 Palermo, Italy. ' Department of Chemistry of Natural Products, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy. ' CISME Interdepartmental Service Centre for Electron Microscopy, University of Naples Federico II, via Foria 223, Naples, Italy. ' Department of Biological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy. ' Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Parco d'Orleans II, 90128 Palermo, Italy. ' Department of Chemistry of Natural Products, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy

Abstract: The composition of the essential oils of fruits from Feijoa sellowiana grown in the district of Acerra is compared with those collected from unpolluted sites. Essential oils from the fruits of F. sellowiana were analysed by GC/MS. Sixty compounds, representing 96.6% and 97.8% (unpolluted site and Acerra site, respectively) of the oils, were identified. The major constituents were β-caryophyllene (12.4% and 16.8%), ledene (9.6% and 11.1%), α-humulene (6.3% and 8.2%), β-elemene (4.9% and 5.3%) and δ-cadinene (4.7% and 5.2%) in the control site and Acerra site, respectively. The antioxidant components were increased in response to polluted condition. The acetonic extracts of F. sellowiana from both sites were purified to obtain flavone, the compound responsible for antitumoral and antioxidant activity. The amount of the antioxidant flavone was higher in the Acerra site than the control site. Measuring the amounts of these metabolites could represent a new methodology for monitoring air pollution.

Keywords: Feijoa sellowiana; essential oils; oil composition; beta-caryophyllene; Acerra; biomonitoring; air pollution; air quality; metabolites; Italy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJENVH.2010.033712

International Journal of Environment and Health, 2010 Vol.4 No.2/3, pp.250 - 259

Published online: 29 Jun 2010 *

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