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Chemical Composition and Biological Evaluation of Essential Oils

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 July 2026 | Viewed by 4182

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Prof. Dr. Renata Nurzyńska-Wierdak

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Department of Vegetable and Herb Crops, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Doświadczalna 50A, 20-280 Lublin, Poland
Interests: spice and medicinal plants; ontogenetic and environmental variability; bioactive substances; cultivation; yield quality; essential oil composition; biological activity
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Dear Colleagues,

Natural medicinal and fragrance products are garnering increasing interest from scientists, manufacturers, and consumers.

Essential oils are an example of such products, long known and used for a variety of purposes. The main source of essential oils are fresh or dried plant materials; a few are obtained from tissue cultures. Essential oils are used in the food industry as flavorings and spices, in perfumery and cosmetics, and for medicinal purposes. Aromatherapy is becoming an increasingly popular field of natural medicine. The rich chemical composition and versatile healing properties of essential oils create a wide range of applications for preventive and therapeutic purposes. The therapeutic properties of oils are very diverse and are most often related to the action of their dominant components. The dominant compounds are mainly monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and phenylpropanes. The biological activity of essential oils is the result of the action of individual dominant components or the synergistic action of a complex of compounds. Due to their rich and varied chemical composition, shaped by numerous factors, essential oils continue to constitute an interesting scientific field. Understanding the effects of the chemical and biological variability of essential oils and their mechanisms of action may prove helpful in various therapies and/or in the production of various products.

Prof. Dr. Renata Nurzyńska-Wierdak
Guest Editor

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Keywords

essential oils
biological evaluation
chemical composition
therapies
natural products

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 706 KB

Open AccessArticle

Composition and Bioactivity of Alentejo Calamintha nepeta Essential Oil: The Impact of Seasonality and Climatic Stress on Antioxidant Capacity and MDR Antibacterial Potential

by Sílvia Macedo Arantes, Andreia Piçarra, A. Teresa Caldeira and M. Rosario Martins

Molecules 2026, 31(12), 2100; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31122100 (registering DOI) - 15 Jun 2026

Abstract

Essential oils (EOs) from wild Calamintha nepeta (Portugal) populations collected in Portugal (Évora) were investigated in order to evaluate the impact of Mediterranean seasonal conditions on their phytochemical composition and biological activity. Essential oil GC-FID and GC-MS analyses revealed distinct seasonal chemotypes, with spring samples dominated by isopulegone/pulegone, whereas autumn samples contained higher proportions of isomenthone and menthol. Antioxidant activity was assessed through lipid peroxidation inhibition, DPPH radical scavenging and ferric reducing power assays, while antibacterial activity was evaluated against multidrug-resistant (MDR) clinical isolates. Seasonal differences were reflected in both EO chemical composition and bioactivity. Autumn samples displayed greater antioxidant potential, with Y1A showing the highest inhibition of lipid peroxidation (IC₅₀ = 0.85 mg/mL) and Y2A exhibiting the highest ferric reducing power. Conversely, spring samples were more active against MDR bacteria. Among them, Y1S showed the broadest antimicrobial spectrum, with MIC values ranging from 465 to 1767 μg/mL. The unusually wet spring season coincided with marked isopulegone accumulation (≈50%), while warmer autumn conditions favoured higher levels of isomenthone and menthol in the EOs. These findings highlight the importance of seasonal environmental conditions in determining the phytochemical profile and bioactive potential of C. nepeta EOs, providing valuable insights for their standardisation and valorisation in pharmaceutical, food and conservation-related applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Composition and Biological Evaluation of Essential Oils)

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22 pages, 2170 KB

Open AccessArticle

Phytochemical Profiling and Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from Quercus robur Acorn: Characterization and Biological Evaluation

by Mürüvvet Kurt, Serdar Güngör, Gülderen Uysal Akkuş, Atilla Evcin and Safiye Elif Korcan

Molecules 2026, 31(10), 1653; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31101653 - 14 May 2026

Viewed by 438

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized via a green approach using aqueous extract of Quercus robur acorn as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The synthesis process was optimized at 1 mM Ag⁺ concentration, yielding stable nanoparticles with a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 445 nm. Structural and morphological analyses confirmed the formation of predominantly spherical nanoparticles with particle sizes ranging between 40 and 68 nm and a face-centered cubic crystalline structure. Phytochemical analyses revealed significantly higher total phenolic and total flavonoid contents in the crude acorn extract compared to the synthesized nanoparticles, indicating the involvement of these compounds in the phytoreduction process. Although antioxidant activity decreased after nanoparticle formation, phyto-mediated AgNPs (PAgNPs) exhibited notable antibacterial activity, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 26 µg/mL. Antibiotic combination assays demonstrated additive and synergistic interactions depending on the tested microorganism. Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of acorn essential oil identified β-caryophyllene (43.1%) as the major component, suggesting the presence of bioactive terpenoids potentially contributing to nanoparticle stabilization. These findings demonstrate that Quercus robur acorn extract can serve as suitable phytogenic source for the controlled synthesis of silver nanoparticles with moderate antibacterial potential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Composition and Biological Evaluation of Essential Oils)

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14 pages, 1904 KB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Growth and Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil from Flowers and Leafy Stems of Lavandula angustifolia Grown in Media Amended with Bark and Sewage Sludge

by Agnieszka Zawadzińska, Aneta Wesołowska, Ewa Skutnik, Julita Rabiza-Świder and Piotr Salachna

Molecules 2025, 30(23), 4545; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30234545 - 25 Nov 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1210

Abstract

The growing medium is one of the key factors determining the yield and quality of lavender oil. The research conducted in greenhouse conditions aimed to assess the impact of a substrate with a reduced peat content enriched with compost from sewage sludge and bark on the growth, yield, and chemical composition of the oil from the inflorescences and leafy stems of English lavender ‘Sentivia Blue’. The plants were grown in pots filled with peat and chemical fertilizer, or in a substrate containing bark and sewage sludge compost, with or without fertilizer. Media affected the growth, leaf greenness index, and biomass production of lavender. Plants growing in peat with fertilizer were the tallest and widest. In turn, the highest number of inflorescences and the highest dry weight of inflorescences and leafy stems were found in plants grown in a mixture of bark and sewage sludge compost, with the addition of fertilizer. A significant interaction between the plant organ and the type of substrate was demonstrated, which affected the content of specific oil components. The content of essential oil was higher in inflorescences (1.15%) than in leaves (0.21%). The oil from the inflorescences was dominated by linalool, caryophyllene oxide, and linalyl acetate, while caryophyllene oxide, borneol, and geranyl acetate dominated in the leafy stems. The highest linalool content was found in oil obtained from inflorescences of plants grown in both media, based on bark and sewage sludge compost. The results show that the best quality parameters of the raw material and oil, including particularly high dry weight and linalool content, were obtained when the plants were grown in a medium consisting of bark, sewage sludge compost, and chemical fertilizer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Composition and Biological Evaluation of Essential Oils)

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17 pages, 2692 KB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of the Essential Oils from Different Parts of Rosa bracteata J.C.Wendl

by Shiyu Song, Yifang Chen, Hongrui Chen, Qinglei Han and Pengxiang Lai

Molecules 2025, 30(19), 4021; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30194021 - 8 Oct 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1737

Abstract

Rosa bracteata J.C.Wendl. is a thorny, clump-forming or trailing perennial evergreen shrub native to China. The current analysis was designed to explore the chemical constituents and determine the in vitro antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and antioxidant properties of the essential oils (EOs) of the stems, leaves, and flowers of Rosa bracteata for the first time. The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained through hydro-distillation was characterized by means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC–FID). Thirty-seven, thirty-six, and forty-two constituents were identified from leaf oil (LEO), stem oil (SEO), and flower oil (FEO), representing 96.3%, 95.9%, and 97.4% of the total oil constituents, respectively. The LEO was mainly composed of 1-pentadecene, α-cadinol, and hexadecanoic acid. However, the main identified components of SEO were (E)-nerolidol, phytol, and benzyl benzoate, and the main components of the flower oil were ethyl octanoate, octanoic acid, and α-cadinol. All of the EOs exhibited antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with MIC values ranging from 40.00 to 640.00 μg/mL. In addition, the checkerboard method demonstrates potent synergistic effects of Rosa bracteata EOs when combined with commercial antibiotics (chloramphenicol and streptomycin). In the MTT test, SEO (IC₅₀: 37.91 ± 2.10 to 51.15 ± 6.42 μg/mL) showed stronger cytotoxic activity against four cancer cell lines (MCF-7, A549, HepG2, and HCT-116) during the incubation time of 48 h in comparison to the EOs isolated from the other plant parts. Overall, these findings reveal the chemical composition and significant bioactivity of R. bracteata EOs for the first time, suggesting their potential as promising natural agents for therapeutic applications, especially in combination therapies to combat antibiotic resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Composition and Biological Evaluation of Essential Oils)

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