GC–MS fingerprints of essential oils from agarwood grown in wild and artificial environments

Key message To compensate for the shortage of agarwood, Guangxi has independently developed the artificial high yield incense production technology to produce agarwood. Agarwood ( Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg) is a traditional, medicinal spice found largely in China and other Southeast Asian countries. This study is the first to analyze the composition and biological activity of agarwood produced by an artificial high-yield incense production technology. The main objective of this study was to examine the compositions and biological activity of agarwood essential oil (AEO) extracted from wild and artificial agarwood. AEO was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy and three chemometric methods, including similarity evaluation, principal component analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis. Bioactivity assay included antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxicity tests. The results showed that the main composition of AEO included sesquiterpenes (44.92–63.71%), 29 common components, and guaiol as the prominent component. The chemometric analyses further showed that the majority of samples were similar. The assays showed that AEO exhibited antioxidant activity and potential antibacterial and anticancer effects. The chemical compositions of Guangxi artificial agarwood were found to be close to that of the low-grade wild agarwood. The biological activity illustrated that the AEO has potential pharmaceutical benefits.