Composition, Chemical Variability, and Anti‐inflammatory Activity of the Berry Essential Oil of <i>Juniperus phoenicea</i> L. var. <i>Turbinata</i> From Algeria

The chemical composition of 66 oil samples isolated from the berries of individual trees of Juniperus phoenicea var. turbinata, collected in six locations from Algeria, was investigated by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and ¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance. Seventy compounds, accounting for 90.7% to 99.8% of the whole composition, were identified. Yields ranged between 0.39 and 3.79% (w/w). The composition was largely dominated by α-pinene (60.3%-87.6%). The 66 compositions were submitted to statistical analysis. A combination of hierarchical clustering dendrogram and principal component analysis suggested the existence of two groups. Groups were distinguished with respect to their contents of α-pinene. Groups and sub-groups IIA and IIB were mainly separated with respect to their content of α-pinene, and also δ-3-carene, cis-verbenyl peroxide, and 4-epi-abietal. 4-epi-Abietal (0.0%-2.9%), abieta-7,13-dien-3-one (0.0-0.5%), and trans-communic acid (0.0%-1.6%) were reported for the first time in Algerian J. phoenicea berry essential oil. Four essential oil samples exhibited anti-inflammatory activity against lipoxygenase, with IC₅₀ values in the range 32.64 ± 1.82 to 68.68 ± 2.68 µg/mL.