Unveiling the chemical composition and biological potential of essential oils from distinct parts of Solidago virgaurea L. from Western Himalayas

This research centred on investigation of chemical composition, antimicrobial, and antioxidant potential of essential oil from various parts of Solidago virgaurea L. Essential oils (EOs) were isolated using hydrodistillation method. The yield variation observed in EO were (0.15%–1.1% v/w) highest in flowers (1.1%). GC-FID/GC-MS based metabolite profiling had shown overall 32 metabolites, including monoterpenes, oxygenated monoterpenes, and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Major constituents in flowers were α-pinene (33.43 ± 0.13%), limonene (19.33 ± 0.08%), germacrene D (16.48 ± 0.21%), and sabinene (3.72 ± 0.0%). The antibacterial activity, determined through disc diffusion, and MIC assays, flowers EO exhibiting the highest inhibition zone (24.33 ± 1.7 mm) against Micrococcus luteus MTCC 2470, while the leaves EO had the lowest MIC (2.5% v/v) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 2453. whereas, EO from leaves showed strong antioxidant activity (IC50 ABTS = 18.98 ± 0.08 μg/mL and IC50 DPPH = 6.59 ± 0.03 μg/mL). Network pharmacological analysis also revealed MAPK1 (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1) exhibited the highest score of 20.