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

This research centred on investigation of chemical composition, antimicrobial, and antioxidant potential of essential oil from various parts of <i>Solidago virgaurea</i> 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 <i>α</i>-pinene (33.43 <b>±</b> 0.13%), limonene (19.33 <b>±</b> 0.08%), germacrene D (16.48 <b>±</b> 0.21%), and sabinene (3.72 <b>±</b> 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 <i>Micrococcus luteus</i> MTCC 2470, while the leaves EO had the lowest MIC (2.5% v/v) against <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> 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.