Insecticidal effect and chemical composition of the volatile oil from Bergenia ligulata.

The chemical composition of the volatile oil from roots of Bergenia ligulalta was analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 97 compounds were identified. (+)-(6S)-Parasorbic acid (1) (47.45%), isovaleric acid (6.25%), 1,8-cineole (4.24%), (Z)-asarone (3.50%), and terpinen-4-ol (2.96%) were the most prominent constituents. (+)-(6S)-Parasorbic acid (1) was isolated and characterized by spectroscopic data. This is the first report of the existence of (+)-(6S)-parasorbic acid in the saxifrage family. The volatile oil and the isolated compound were tested against Drosophila melanogaster . The results obtained showed that the volatile oil from roots could be considered as natural insecticidal effect agents.