Essential oil composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Pluchea eupatorioides Kurz collected from Vietnam

Abstract

Pluchea eupatorioides Kurz, which belongs to the family Asteraceae, is known for its medicinal properties and has been traditionally used to treat various diseases. This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from the aerial parts of P. eupatorioides and evaluate its antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The essential oil was isolated by hydrodistillation and analysed by gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Thirty-three volatile compounds were identified in P. eupatorioides essential oil, including β-caryophyllene (29.36%), 2,5-dimethoxy-p-cymene (18.41%), α-isocomene (15.74%), and caryophyllene oxide (9.77%) as the major compounds. The antimicrobial activity of P. eupatorioides essential oil was investigated using a broth microdilution assay to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The results indicated that P. eupatorioides essential oil demonstrated effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 with a MIC of 100 µg/mL. Moreover, the essential oil was also found to be effective against Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, but with a slightly higher MIC of 200 µg/mL. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of P. eupatorioides essential oil was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging assays. The IC50 values calculated using the DPPH and ABTS assays were 164.2 and 136.1 µg/ mL, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the P. eupatorioides essential oil could be used as a potential source of antimicrobial and antioxidant agents for the food and pharmaceutical industries. This is the first report describing the chemical compositions, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of P. eupatorioides essential oil.