Isolation, characterisation and evaluation of pharmacological activity of <i>Santalum album</i> L. seed oil

Santalum album L. of Santalaceae family is one of the most valuable plant species, native to Southern India. The crop is valued for its heartwood oil because of its sweet, fragrant aroma and fixative property. On the other hand, the seeds are underutilised and not much explored. The present study aims at profiling the fatty acid composition and evaluation of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and Tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Sandal seeds reported 23% (v/w) of fixed oil with n-hexane as an extraction medium. The major fatty acids in sandal seed oil are reported as palmitic acid (2.028%), oleic acid (9.87%) and ximenynic acid (79.58%). ximenynic acid isolated by crystallisation method was validated through Gas chromatography and NMR analysis. The sandal seed oil and ximenynic acid displayed promising anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and Tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Sandal seeds can thus be utilised as the natural and sustainable source for cosmeceutical applications.