Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
PLANTS, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.1-19, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Dracocephalum botryoides Stev. (Lamiaceae) is an endemic species of the Caucasus region with a history of traditional medicinal use, although the biological properties of its essential oil remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of D. botryoides collected in northern Azerbaijan was evaluated for its chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and cytotoxic activities. GC–MS analysis revealed a terpene-rich profile, with p-cymene (15.2%), T-cadinol (6.2%), caryophyllene oxide (6.0%), β-caryophyllene (5.8%), and sabinene (5.1%) as the major constituents. The essential oil showed notable antioxidant activity in DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays with IC₅₀ values of approximately 60 and 63 µg/mL, respectively. The essential oil exhibited antimicrobial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 0.2% (v/v) against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. Higher MIC values were recorded for Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Candida glabrata ATCC 2001 (1.0% v/v), while the highest MIC value was observed for Trichophyton rubrum ATCC 28188 (2.5% v/v). The essential oil also inhibited biofilm formation and scanning electron microscopy supported these findings by demonstrating reduced biofilm coverage and disrupted biofilm architecture. In vitro assays using HaCaT human keratinocytes for the essential oil indicated low cytotoxicity at concentrations below 100 µg/mL. These results suggest that the terpene-rich essential oil of D. botryoides possesses noteworthy antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antibiofilm potential.