Comparative evaluation of volatile composition of Psephellus huber-morathii Wagenitz using HD, SPME, and n-hexane extract and antioxidant activity

The present study aimed to comparatively evaluate the volatile composition and antioxidant activity of the aerial parts of Psephellus huber-morathii Wagenitz obtained by hydrodistillation (HD), solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and n-hexane extraction. The chemical profiles were analyzed by GC-MS, resulting in the identification of 60 compounds (26, 13, and 33, each), accounting for 98.2% 99.2%, and 99.3% of the total composition, respectively. The major constituents were identified as n-hexadecanoic acid (22.1%), spathulenol (12.1%), caryophyllene oxide (8.3%), and α-pinene (7.3%) in the essential oil (EO); hexanal (20.6%), 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (18.0%), and 1-ethyl-4-methylbenzene (12.5%) in the SPME extract; and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (37.1%) and 1-ethyl-4-methylbenzene (26.6%) in the SPME of n-hexane extract. Antioxidant activities were assessed for EO, n-hexane, and acetonitrile extracts using the FRAP, CUPRAC, and DPPH assays. The acetonitrile extract was the most effective against FRAP (1433 ± 4.39 µM TE/g) and CUPRAC (1013 ± 4.02 µM TE/g) values, whereas the EO showed the strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀: 0.0612 ± 0.0020 mg/mL).