Phytochemical Analysis and Pharmacological Actives of Essential Oils Extracted from Leaves of <i>Juniperus turbinata</i> Guss

Abstract

Background: Juniperus turbinata Guss. is a medicinal mountain plant used by the Indigenous population in the traditional pharmacopeia. Objectives This study aimed at investigating the phytochemical analysis, antimicrobial, antioxydant and hymolytic activities of Juniperus turbinata Guss. leaves extracts. Materials and Methods The essential oils of Juniperus turbinata Guss. (EOJL) leaves were extracted, and their phytochemical composition was characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). EOJL was evaluated for its anti-free radical (2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)) properties, as well as antibacterial, antifungal, and hemolytic activities. Results The chemical study showed that EOJL contains 14 chemicals, with a 99.98% identification rate. The most abundant compounds in EOJL are linalool (45%), borneol (12%), and cineole (11%). The EOJL exhibited a 50% inhibition concentration of DPPH radicals value of 23.56 ± 0.72 µg/mL (DPPH) for its antioxidant activity, an effective concentration equivalent of 0.50 nm value of 239.08 ± 5.13 µg/mL (FRAP), and a total antioxidant activity of 735.03 ± 21.25 µg AAE/mg (TAC). The antibacterial efficacy of EOJL on a solid substrate demonstrated a range of 10–15 mm in diameter for bacterial strains, 14.33 ± 1.15 mm for C. albicans , and 56.68 ± 1.19% for Fusarium oxysporum . The bacterial strains exhibited a minimum concentration range of 6.15–11.26 µg/mL on the solid medium, whereas the range for the strains was between 5.11 and 10.23 µg/mL. The molecular docking analysis demonstrated that terpineol has potent antioxidant activity against NADPH oxidase, as shown by a shift score of –4.055 kcal mol –1 . Eugenol also showed significant antioxidant activity with a shift value of –4.003 kcal mol –1 . Camphor exhibited significant efficacy against S. aureus nucleoside diphosphate kinase, as demonstrated by a slip score of –5.156 kcal mol –1 . Conclusion The findings highlight the significance of EOJL as a natural antioxidant and its antibacterial potential against pathogenic strains that are therapeutically relevant.