Chemical composition variations, allelopathic, and antioxidant activities of Symphyotrichum squamatum (Spreng.) Nesom essential oils growing in heterogeneous habitats

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the chemical composition of Symphyotrichum squamatum EOs growing in two different habitats to explore the ecological implication on the EOs production and evaluate their antioxidant and allelopathic potentialities. The EOs from the aerial parts collected from coastal Mediterranean belt and inland abandoned habitats in the Nile Delta of Egypt, were extracted and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sixty compounds were characterized as overall constituents of EOs from both samples. Sesquiterpenes were the main component and represented by 69.77% and 88.68% from coastal and inland sample, respectively. The coastal sample attained a relatively high content of monoterpenes compared to the inland sample. Major compounds from the EOs of the coastal habitat sample, were humulene epoxide, (-)-spathulenol, (-)-caryophyllene oxide, germacrene D, and α-humulene representing 59.72%. However, β-pinene, germacrene D, α-humulene, α-muurolene, humulene epoxide, (-)-caryophyllene oxide, and β-cadinene were the major compounds of EOs of the inland habitat sample, representing 63.70%. The correlation analysis revealed more correlation between the Egyptian inland S. squamatum and the Japanese ecospecies. However, the Egyptian coastal S. squamatum and Turkish ecospecies were more correlated to each other. The present data suggested that chemotypes of S. squamatum maintain their typical pattern despite ecological or climatic differences. The EOs of S. squamatum showed moderate antioxidant activity, wherein coastal and inland EOs have an IC50 value of 382.53 and 559.63 μL L−1, respectively. Also, the EOs from both habitats showed moderate allelopathic activity against the noxious weed Bidens pilosa. However, the activity of the coastal sample was more than inland one and could be attributed to the content of the major compounds, especially the oxygenated terpenes. Keywords: Symphyotrichum squamatum, Essential oils, Environmental variables, PCA, Allelopathic potential, Antioxidant activity