Phytochemical Profiling and Bioactivity Evaluation of Perilla Species from Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam

Perilla frutescens, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, serves as a traditional medicinal herb in East Asia, offering benefits such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antitumor effects. This study aimed to compare the phytochemical composition and biological activities of two varieties- P. frutescens var. crispa forma and P. frutescens var. frutescens—cultivated in Thai Nguyen province, northern Vietnam. Leaf samples were dried and extracted with ethanol using maceration, followed by GC-MS characterization and in vitro assessments of antimicrobial and antitumor effects. GC–MS profiling revealed 39 bioactive compounds, with Perilla ketone dominating in var. frutescens (69.41%) and 1-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde, 4-(1-methylethenyl)- (61.48%) in var. crispa forma. Var. crispa forma exhibited a more diverse composition, particularly of sesquiterpenes such as caryophyllene and nerolidol. Biological assays demonstrated concentration-dependent antimicrobial effects against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus brasiliensis, and Candida albicans. Notably, the extract of var. crispa forma showed superior inhibitory zones and surpassed the antifungal standard amphotericin B against C. albicans. Cytotoxicity testing on AGS gastric cancer cells using the MTT assay showed potent anticancer activity, with var. crispa forma achieving an IC₅₀ of 10.43 µg/mL, compared to 15.83 µg/mL for var. frutescens. These findings suggest that ethanol extracts of P. frutescens, particularly var. crispa forma, possess strong antimicrobial and anticancer potentials.