# Chemical Profile and Related Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Leaf Essential Oil from Aspilia rudis Oliv. & Hiern

## TL;DR

This study identifies the chemical makeup of Aspilia rudis leaf oil and shows it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

## Contribution

The first report of the chemical composition and biological activities of Aspilia rudis leaf essential oil.

## Key findings

- The leaf essential oil contains 58 compounds, with significant variability grouped into three chemical clusters.
- Samples S10, S26, and S36 showed strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
- The observed activities may be due to compounds like α-pinene, germacrene D, and thymol.

## Abstract

The present study reports, for the first time, the chemical composition of the leaf essential oil (LEO) from Aspilia rudis as well as its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Analysis combining GC(RI), GC-MS and 13C-NMR of 36 samples identified 58 compounds representing 96.7–99.3% of the whole composition. Statistical analyses revealed chemical variability in three clusters, each composed of samples from the same sampling site. Cluster I is dominated by germacrene D (27.2 ± 2.7%), α-pinene (24.0 ± 2.9%) and (E)-β-caryophyllene (13.1 ± 1.7%), cluster II by α-pinene (38.9 ± 2.4%) and germacrene D (19.1 ± 3.6%), while the prevalent compound of cluster III is α-pinene (51.9 ± 5.3%), followed by β-pinene (11.7 ± 1.7%) and germacrene D (10.7 ± 2.2%). The oil samples S10, S26 and S36 demonstrated antioxidant activity (DPPH: EC50 = 43.8 ± 1.0, 28.5 ± 1.0 and 38.8 ± 1.0 µg/mL, respectively; ABTS: TEAC = 17.16 ± 0.70, 23.35 ± 1.32 and 18.76 ± 0.64 µmol TE/mg EO, respectively) and anti-inflammatory activity through the LOX inhibition assay (IC50 = 34.9 ± 1.0, 32.1 ± 1.0 and 22.2 ± 1.0 µg/mL, respectively). The activities of A. rudis LEO may be related to its main compounds and thymol, all known for their various pharmacological and biological properties, and probably to synergistic effects.