Abstract
Aerial parts of Achillea moschata Wulfen (Asteraceae) growing wild in the Italian Rhaetian Alps were investigated to describe, for the first time, their phenolic content, as well as to characterize the essential oil. Inspection of the metabolic profile combining HPLC-DAD and ESI-MS/MS data showed that the methanol extract contained glycosylated flavonoids with luteolin and apigenin as the main aglycones. Among them, the major compound was 7-O-glucosyl apigenin. Caffeoyl derivates were other phenolics identified. The essential oil obtained by steam distillation and investigated by GC/FID and GC/MS showed camphor, 1,8-cineole, and bornylacetate as the main constituents. The antioxidant capacity of three different extracts with increasing polarity and of the essential oil was evaluated by employing ABTS·+ and DPPH· radical scavenging assays. The methanolic extract was the only significantly effective sample against both synthetic radicals. All samples were also tested against Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial species using the disk diffusion assay. The non-polar extracts (dichloromethane and petroleum ether) and the essential oil possessed a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity expressed according to inhibition zone diameter (8–24 mm).
Highlights
The genus Achillea (Asteraceae) includes about 130 flowering and perennial species worldwide—mostly in Europe and temperate areas of Asia—and in North America and NorthAfrica [1,2]
Achillea moschata Wulfen is one of the 23 species recognized in Italy, where it grows on siliceous rocks, screes and stony pastures, along the Alps from 1800 m up to 3400 m a.s.l. [3]
The essential oil content of A. moschata obtained by steam distillation from the dried aerial parts of the plant was quantified as 0.81%, which was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)
Summary
The genus Achillea (Asteraceae) includes about 130 flowering and perennial species worldwide—mostly in Europe and temperate areas of Asia—and in North America and North. Africa [1,2]. Achillea moschata Wulfen is one of the 23 species recognized in Italy, where it grows on siliceous rocks, screes and stony pastures, along the Alps from 1800 m up to 3400 m a.s.l. Molecules 2016, 21, 830 herb used in traditional and modern recipes for its aromatic traits and in several remedies—both in human and veterinary medicine—for various ailments, as documented in some alpine ethnobotanical studies (Table 1).
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