Phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of Achillea Santolina at different phenological stages

Abstract In the present study, the phytochemical quantity and quality as well as the antioxidant capacity of Achillea santolina at different growth stages including vegetative, flowering, and fruit set were investigated. The leave methanolic extraction of harvested plants at the flowering stage show...

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Main Authors: Nasrin Farhadi, Mohammad Moghaddam, Sara Farsaraei, Khyrollah Babaei, Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11873-3
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author Nasrin Farhadi
Mohammad Moghaddam
Sara Farsaraei
Khyrollah Babaei
Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti
author_facet Nasrin Farhadi
Mohammad Moghaddam
Sara Farsaraei
Khyrollah Babaei
Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti
author_sort Nasrin Farhadi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In the present study, the phytochemical quantity and quality as well as the antioxidant capacity of Achillea santolina at different growth stages including vegetative, flowering, and fruit set were investigated. The leave methanolic extraction of harvested plants at the flowering stage showed the highest phenolic and flavonoids content. The content and composition of A. santolina essential oil was varied depending on the plant development stage. The highest essential oil content (0.3% v/w) was obtained in the harvested aerial parts at the flowering stage followed by fruit set and vegetative stages. According to results of GC-FID and GC-MS, oxygenated monoterpenes represented by 1,8-cineole, α-thujone, and camphor were the predominant compounds in the A. santolina essential oil, which comprised 69.63–88.61% of the total oil composition. The essential oil quality of A. santolina was varied during the growing season and the observed variation was related to the differences in concentrations of main compounds and occurrence of minor constituents. An ascending and descending trend respectively was found regard to monoterpene and sesquiterpene contents during the growing life cycle of A. santolina and the highest ratio of these compounds was obtained at the fruit set stage. The total phenol content and antioxidant capacity of A. santolina essential oils gradually increased during the plant growth period that reached a maximum value at the fruit set stage. According to obtained results, appropriate harvesting stage can be chosen based on application purpose regards to essential oil quantity or quality. The results suggests that the flowering and fruit set stages can be considered as suitable sources of highest essential oil content and antioxidant potential, respectively.
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spelling doaj-art-71b083efe2ae4e3ea9b8056d0bd51b722025-08-20T04:01:52ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-11873-3Phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of Achillea Santolina at different phenological stagesNasrin Farhadi0Mohammad Moghaddam1Sara Farsaraei2Khyrollah Babaei3Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti4Greenhouse and Controlled Environments Research Center (GCER), Horticultural Science Research Institute (HSRI), AREEODepartment of Horticultural Science and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of MashhadDepartment of Horticultural Science and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of MashhadDepartment of Horticulture Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia UniversityDepartment of Biology, TeMS.C, Islamic Azad UniversityAbstract In the present study, the phytochemical quantity and quality as well as the antioxidant capacity of Achillea santolina at different growth stages including vegetative, flowering, and fruit set were investigated. The leave methanolic extraction of harvested plants at the flowering stage showed the highest phenolic and flavonoids content. The content and composition of A. santolina essential oil was varied depending on the plant development stage. The highest essential oil content (0.3% v/w) was obtained in the harvested aerial parts at the flowering stage followed by fruit set and vegetative stages. According to results of GC-FID and GC-MS, oxygenated monoterpenes represented by 1,8-cineole, α-thujone, and camphor were the predominant compounds in the A. santolina essential oil, which comprised 69.63–88.61% of the total oil composition. The essential oil quality of A. santolina was varied during the growing season and the observed variation was related to the differences in concentrations of main compounds and occurrence of minor constituents. An ascending and descending trend respectively was found regard to monoterpene and sesquiterpene contents during the growing life cycle of A. santolina and the highest ratio of these compounds was obtained at the fruit set stage. The total phenol content and antioxidant capacity of A. santolina essential oils gradually increased during the plant growth period that reached a maximum value at the fruit set stage. According to obtained results, appropriate harvesting stage can be chosen based on application purpose regards to essential oil quantity or quality. The results suggests that the flowering and fruit set stages can be considered as suitable sources of highest essential oil content and antioxidant potential, respectively.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11873-3AchilleaAntioxidant capacityEssential oilGrowth stageTotal flavonoids
spellingShingle Nasrin Farhadi
Mohammad Moghaddam
Sara Farsaraei
Khyrollah Babaei
Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti
Phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of Achillea Santolina at different phenological stages
Scientific Reports
Achillea
Antioxidant capacity
Essential oil
Growth stage
Total flavonoids
title Phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of Achillea Santolina at different phenological stages
title_full Phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of Achillea Santolina at different phenological stages
title_fullStr Phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of Achillea Santolina at different phenological stages
title_full_unstemmed Phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of Achillea Santolina at different phenological stages
title_short Phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of Achillea Santolina at different phenological stages
title_sort phytochemical profiling and antioxidant capacity of achillea santolina at different phenological stages
topic Achillea
Antioxidant capacity
Essential oil
Growth stage
Total flavonoids
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11873-3
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AT sarafarsaraei phytochemicalprofilingandantioxidantcapacityofachilleasantolinaatdifferentphenologicalstages
AT khyrollahbabaei phytochemicalprofilingandantioxidantcapacityofachilleasantolinaatdifferentphenologicalstages
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