Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic Activities of the Essential Oil from the Inflorescences ofSolidago canadensisL., an Invasive Weed in Southeastern China

Solidago canadensis L. (Asteraceae) is an invasive weed in southeastern China with rich resources. The essential oil of the inflorescences was extracted by hydrodistillation and the components of the essential oil were analyzed by GC-MS. Fifty-three compounds were identified and represent 91.9 % of the total oil constituents. The main components were β-cubebene ( 26.9 % ), α-pinene ( 13.8 % ), D-limonene (12.2 %), β-pinene ( 9.3 %) and bornyl acetate ( 3.2 %) . The essential oils were screened for in-vitro cytotoxic activity against LOVO, HL-60, A-549, MDA-MB-435 and HepG2 human tumor cells, and showed mild activity against A-549, MDA-MB-435 and HepG2. This is the first report on the chemical composition of the essential oil from the inflorescences of Solidago canadensis L.