Antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oil derived from the wild rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz.

The present study investigated the chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oil (EO) derived from the wild rhizomes of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (AMA) growing in Qimen County (eastern China). GC-MS analysis identified fifteen compounds, representing 92.55% of AMA EO. The major compounds were atractylone (39.22%), β -eudesmol (27.70%), thymol (5.74%), hinesol (5.50%), and 11-Isopropylidenetricyclo [4.3.1.1(2,5)] undec-3-en-10-one (4.71%). Ferricyanide reducing, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picyrlhydrazyl (DPPH) and 3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) scavenging assays revealed that AMA EO exhibited strong antioxidant capacities. Additionally, AMA EO showed inhibitory effects on growth of Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Salmonella enterica , Staphylococcus aureus , and Bacillus subtilis , with the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/mL. Treatments with AMA EO also significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) and Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, indicating anti-inflammatory activity of AMA EO. Furthermore, treatments with AMA EO decreased the transcriptional levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which might be the molecular mechanisms underlying its anti-inflammatory effects. Overall, these results provide a theoretical basis for further study and application of AMA EO in food and medicine products.