Chemical characterization and antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-septic activities of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz

Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (AM) is a rhizome plant traditionally used as an herbal medicine to normalize gastrointestinal function and treat inflammation-related diseases. However, there are no comprehensive studies that have examined the chemical composition or biological activity of the aerial parts of AM, which may be a promising raw material for the pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the constituents, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-septic activities of the essential oil of the aerial parts of Atractylodes macrocephala (EOAPA). The chemical composition analysis of EOAPA by gas chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC-Q/TOF-MS) led to the identification of 73 components, and the dominant compounds were hinesol (12.61%), β-eudesmol (11.51%), and atractylone (5.8%). EOAPA significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cell expression of monocyte chemokine-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in a dose-dependent manner via regulating the nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway, which may be related to its strong reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging ability against LPS challenge at cellular level. While, its antioxidant activity in vitro was weak. Finally, LPS-induced septic shock in mice confirmed that EOAPA can effectively prevent mouse death by downregulating the levels of inflammatory factors in serum, such as IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). The above results showed that there is satisfactory potential for EOAPA to be developed and applied as a natural pharmaceutical and cosmetic additive.