DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.72226 ISSN: 2048-7177

Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Bioactivities of Volatile Oils From Wurfbainia villosa Fruit and Stem

Yuancong Gu, Bangyu Lv, Xingrui Nian, Xinrui Xie, Xinhe Yang

ABSTRACT

This study extracted volatile oils from the fruit and stem of Wurfbainia villosa Lour. ( W. villosa ) using steam distillation. Their chemical compositions were comparatively analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Their biological activities were evaluated through antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging, and total antioxidant capacity), hypoglycemic (α‐glucosidase and α‐amylase inhibition), and antibacterial (agar diffusion) assays. The extraction yields were 1.87% for the fruit volatile oil and 0.13% for the stem volatile oil. GC–MS analysis identified 46 compounds in the fruit volatile oil and 59 compounds in the stem volatile oil. The fruit volatile oil was primarily composed of (+)‐α‐pinene (17.45%), camphene (14.53%), (−)‐β‐pinene (14.93%), D‐limonene (14.66%), borneol (16.18%), and bornyl acetate (3.57%). In contrast, the stem volatile oil was dominated by γ‐terpinene (17.78%), p‐cymene (17.29%), (+)‐4‐carene (13.46%), (−)‐4‐terpineol (9.53%), (−)‐β‐pinene (9.60%), β‐phellandrene (7.25%), and D‐limonene (5.31%). The two volatile oils shared 27 common components, of which 19 were unique to the fruit and 32 were unique to the stem. Orthogonal partial least squares‐discriminant analysis (OPLS‐DA) identified key differential markers, including γ‐terpinene, borneol, p‐cymene, (+)‐4‐carene, D‐limonene, (−)‐4‐terpineol, β‐phellandrene, and (−)‐β‐pinene. The fruit volatile oil demonstrated substantially stronger antioxidant activity (based on the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacity assays) and higher inhibitory activity against α‐glucosidase and α‐amylase than did the stem volatile oil. Conversely, the stem volatile oil showed substantially greater antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus . Exploratory correlation analysis suggested that these bioactivity differences might be associated with the distribution profiles of characteristic chemical components. This study revealed substantial differences in the chemical composition and bioactivity of volatile oils from the fruit and stem of W. villosa . The findings provide a scientific basis for the targeted development of these volatile oils as natural antioxidants, hypoglycemics agents, or antibacterials agents, depending on the plant part.

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