Comparative Studies on Essential Oil and Phenolic Content with In Vitro Antioxidant, Anticholinesterase, Antimicrobial Activities of Achillea biebersteinii Afan. and A. millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. L. Growing in Eastern Turkey

Abstract

The potential applications of Achillea species in various industries have encouraged the examination of their phytochemical components along with their biological potential. In the present study, phenolic contents and essential oil compositions together with the in vitro biological activities of the aerial parts from Achillea biebersteinii Afan. and Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. collected from Turkey were evaluated. Different solvent extracts (n-hexane, chloroform, methanol, water) were prepared and their antimicrobial, anticholinesterase, and antioxidant activities were studied. The LC-MS/MS results revealed the presence of 16 different phenolic compounds, including chlorogenic acid, rutin, quercetin, and luteolin glycosides, in methanolic extracts. According to GC-FID and GC/MS results, the primary components of the oils were identified as 1,8-cineole (32.5%), piperitone (14.4%), and camphor (13.7%) in A. biebersteinii and 1,8-cineole (12.3%) and β-eudesmol (8.9%) in A. millefolium subsp. millefolium. The infusion and methanolic extracts of both species were found to be rich in their total phenolic content as well as their antioxidant and anticholinesterase activity. In contrast, the n-hexane and chloroform extracts of both species showed strong antimicrobial activity with MIC values ranging from 15 to 2000 μg/mL. Our findings suggest that the investigated Achillea species could be evaluated as potent natural agents, and further studies into the promising extracts are needed.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Epinephrine Autoxidation in the Presence of Plant Superoxide Inhibitors: A New Look at the Methodology of Using a Model System in Biological and Chemical Research

“…As can be found in the literature sources, the phenolic antioxidant compositions of all these three plant species are mostly similar [ 32 , 33 , 34 ]. There are chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, rutin, apigenin, quercetin, and luteolin and their derivatives in aqueous and others extracts of these plants.…”

Composition and Biological Activity of the Essential Oils from Wild Horsemint, Yarrow, and Yampah from Subalpine Meadows in Southwestern Montana: Immunomodulatory Activity of Dillapiole

“…In the literature, relatively high amounts of the above-mentioned terpenes were reported to be typical for hexaploid yarrow plants. Additionally, 1,8-cineole and camphor were primary components of A. millefolium essential oils from Serbia, France, and Eastern Turkey [ 27 , 28 , 29 ]. According to “Millefolii Herba” from the European Pharmacopoeia, the content of proazulenes expressed as chamazulene should be a minimum of 0.02% (dried drug) in yarrow [ 30 ].…”

The Influence of Freeze-Dried Alcohol-Water Extracts from Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) and German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on the Properties of Elastomer Vulcanizates

“…In yarrow, the following phenolic acids and their derivatives were detected: gallic, caffeic acids, chlorogenic acid derivative, protocatechuic acid hexoside. Among flavonoids, quercetin, quercetin rutinoside, quercetin glucoside, luteolin, luteolin glucoside, kaempferol, myricetin, apigenin, apigenin glucoside were found [ 75 , 76 ].…”