Phenylpropanoid-rich essential oils of Peucedanum longifolium Waldst. & kit. from Montenegro and their antioxidant properties

Objective: To examine the impact of prolonged and fractionated extraction on the yield, chemical composition, and bioactivity of essential oils (EOs) from Peucedanum longifolium Waldst. & Kit. (PL). Methods: A 24-h hydrodistillation extraction method was applied to the flower and fruit plant material collected from two localities in Montenegro (Lovćen and Rumija). A total of 24 EOs were obtained and analysed for chemical composition using Gass Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and related antioxidant activity, assessed by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays. Results: A significant difference in EOs yield was observed: PL from Lovćen gave up to 3 times more EOs than that originating from Rumija. A total of 66 compounds were identified, with myristicin as the main constituent (up to 72.9%), accompanied by its structural analogues elemicin (up to 18.8%) and isoelemicin (up to 47%), the amount of which varied depending on the reproductive organ and locality. Most EOs showed weak antioxidant activity with the IC50 value 0.61-2.54 mg/mL (assessed by DPPH), while the FRAP was 3.48-11.56 mmol Fe2+/g indicating weak to moderate reducing power. Conclusion: A phenylpropanoid-rich chemotype, previously unreported either for PL or other Peucedanum species, was distinguished. This study also reports for the first time the antioxidant properties of flower and fruit EOs of PL.