Chemical components, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oil from Artemisia kanashiroi in Northwest China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Artemisia kanashiroi, is an important aromatic medicinal plant that is endemic to China. In the study, the chemical components of essential oil (EO) of A. kanashiroi obtained from different regions in China were analyzed. The results indicated that oxygenated monoterpenes are the predominant components of all EOs, and the major components were 1,8-cineole, camphor, terpine-4-ol, α-terpineol and spathulenol. The chemical composition of EOs exhibited ecological diversity driven by geographical factors. Furthermore, we evaluated the in vitro biological activities of the EOs, including their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. All of the EOs exhibited moderate to potent, broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities targeting both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, none of the EOs showed significant activity against the tested fungal strains. The antioxidant activity of the EOs was evaluated based on their scavenging activity against 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals, and all of the EOs showed significant concentration-dependent DPPH free radical scavenging activity.