Chemical Analysis and Biological Activities of Plant Essential Oils

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 809

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Departamento de Química, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), Loja 1101608, Ecuador
Interests: essential oils; plant extracts; GC-MS; LC-MS; natural products; marine actinomycetes; enzyme inhibitors; antimicrobials; antioxidants; nutraceutics

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Química, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), Loja 1101608, Ecuador
Interests: essential oils; plant extracts; GC-MS; LC-MS; secondary metabolites; ecological role of volatile compounds; botanic plant distribution; taxonomy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chemical characterization strategies for essential oils from plants, and their analysis through several in vitro or in vivo biological assays represent a burgeoning field with wide-ranging implications across various sectors. Essential oils, composed of a myriad of volatile compounds derived mainly from mixtures of terpenes (mono- and sesquiterpenes essentially), offer diverse biological activities that make them valuable in numerous applications. In nature, essential oils serve a crucial function in plant protection, although their precise mechanisms of action remain elusive. It is also well known that their chemical composition can exhibit significant variation, even within the same plant species or among different plants. This variation stems from factors such as genetic diversity, geographical location, environmental conditions, nutritional status, the specific plant parts used (such as stems, leaves or flowers) and the extraction methods employed. From antimicrobial and antioxidant properties to their potential in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and agriculture, essential oils hold promises for innovative solutions. Furthermore, advancements in analytical techniques have enabled a deeper understanding of essential oil composition and their effects on biological systems. As we continue to uncover new compounds and assess their activities, the potential applications of essential oils are ever-expanding.

This Special Issue endeavors to gather insights into these plant derivatives and welcomes submissions of original research, mini and full reviews, short communications and perspectives covering various aspects of essential oils from plants. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, topics such as the biosynthesis of essential oils in plants, the role of essential oils within the plant, their mechanisms of action, the chemical composition of essential oils and their biological activities both in vitro and in vivo.

Dr. Luis Cartuche
Dr. Vladimir Morocho
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • essential oils
  • chemical characterization
  • enantiomeric distribution
  • terpenoids
  • gas chromatography
  • ecological role of essential oils
  • chemical variability
  • biological activities in vitro and in vivo
  • antimicrobials
  • anti-infectious
  • antioxidant
  • enzyme inhibitors

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 793 KiB  
Article
Chemical Profiling of Drimys granadensis (Winteraceae) Essential Oil, and Their Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Anticholinesterase Properties
by Luis Cartuche, Camila Vallejo, Edison Castillo, Nixon Cumbicus and Vladimir Morocho
Plants 2024, 13(13), 1806; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13131806 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 588
Abstract
A complete and comprehensive chemical and biological study of Drimys granadensis, a native Ecuadorian aromatic plant, was conducted. By conventional steam distillation from dried leaves, a yellowish, translucent essential oil (EO) with a density of 0.95 and a refractive index of 1.5090 was [...] Read more.
A complete and comprehensive chemical and biological study of Drimys granadensis, a native Ecuadorian aromatic plant, was conducted. By conventional steam distillation from dried leaves, a yellowish, translucent essential oil (EO) with a density of 0.95 and a refractive index of 1.5090 was obtained. The EO was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS) and an FID detector (GC/FID), respectively. Enantiomeric distribution was also carried out by GC/MS using a chiral selective column (diethyl tert-butylsilyl-BETA-cyclodextrin). The microdilution broth method was employed to assess the antibacterial and antifungal activity of the EO against a panel of opportunistic microorganisms. Antioxidant capacity was measured using diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radicals. Finally, the inhibitory potential of the EO against acetylcholinesterase was also valued. Sixty-four chemical compounds, constituting 93.27% of the total composition, were identified, with major components including γ-muurolene (10.63%), spathulenol (10.13%), sabinene (5.52%), and δ-cadinene (4.22%). The characteristic taxonomic marker of the Drimys genus, Drimenol, was detected at very low percentages (<2%). Two pairs of enantiomers ((1S,5R)-(+)-α-pinene/(1S,5S)-(–)-α-pinene; (1S,5R)-(+)-β-pinene/(1S,5S)-(–)-β-pinene) and one pure enantiomer (1R,4S)-(–)-camphene were identified. Regarding antimicrobial potency, the EO exhibited a significant moderate effect on Listeria monocytogenes with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 250 µg/mL, while with the remaining microorganisms, it exerted less potency, ranging from 500 to 2000 µg/mL. The EO displayed moderate effects against the ABTS radical with a half scavenging capacity of 210.48 µg/mL and no effect against the DPPH radical. The most notable effect was noticed for acetylcholinesterase, with a half inhibition concentration (IC50) of 63.88 ± 1.03 µg/mL. These antiradical and anticholinesterase effects hint at potential pharmacological applications in Alzheimer’s disease treatment, although the presence of safrole, albeit in low content (ca. 2%), could limit this opportunity. Further in vivo studies are necessary to fully understand their potential applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Analysis and Biological Activities of Plant Essential Oils)
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