Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Anticholine Esterase Activities of Essential Oil of Xylopia aethiopica Seeds

Background: Xylopia aethiopica is well known to treat neurodegenerative diseases in traditional medicine and there is no scientific evidence for this claim. Objective: The current research aimed at investigating chemical characterization, antioxidant, and anticholine esterase activity of the essential oil from X. aethiopica. Materials and Methods: Essential oil extraction was carried out by the use of the steam distillation method in a modified Clevenger‑type apparatus. The chemical composition of the essential oil from seeds of X. aethiopica (African pepper) was determined using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC‑MS) and its potentials as antioxidant and anticholine esterase were evaluated for the first time. Results: The oil yield was 5.2% (v/w) in X. aethiopica. The GC‑MS analysis identified a total of 52 compounds corresponding to 100% of the total oil in X. aethiopica. The major constituents of X. aethiopica essential oil are terpinen‑4‑ol (11.88%), α‑terpineol (5.93%), cyclohexane methanol (4.79%), and β‑copaene (4.74%). The most abundant classes of compounds from the essential oil were oxygenated monoterpenes (MT) which amounted to (37.6%), followed by oxygenated sesquiterpenes (29.61%), sesquiterpenes (14.67%), oxygenated diterpenes (9.05%), nonterpenoid aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons (4.81%), diterpenes (3.8%), and MT (0.47%) of all the identified constituents. A significant antioxidant (IC50 value of 2,2‑diphenyl‑1‑picrylhydrazyl = 2.19 ± 0.09 mg/mL) and anticholine esterase activity (IC50 = 1.21 ± 0.06 mg/mL) was obtained for the essential oil of X. aethiopica. Conclusion: The study established the chemical composition, antioxidant, and anticholine esterase activities of the essential oil of the plant seeds.