Phytochemical profile and antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activities of the essential oils in the aerial part and root of Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schmidt ex Miq

Abstract

The root of Glehnia littoralis is used as a good traditional Chinese medicine. The aerial part of G. littoralis is often discarded as waste in China, although it is very abundant, which results in waste of resources. In order to utilize the resources, the essential oils of the aerial part and root were isolated from G. littoralis, separately named as GLA and GLR. Their phytochemical profile, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects were investigated. The results showed that the concentrations of GLA and GLR were separately 0.933 g/kg and 1.365 g/kg, and nineteen components were identified from both oils. Among them, panaxynol was the common component with a content of 38.21 % in GLA and 74.02 % in GLR. GLA potently inhibited F. solani and F. incarnatum, GLR strongly suppressed S. albus. GLA and GLR reduced the production of NO, IL-1β, IL‐6, TNF-α in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. This study provided a theoretical basis for the utilization of the aboveground parts of G. littoralis.