Research Information System
Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, vol.122, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Scabiosa hololeuca Bornm., a plant from the Caprifoliaceae family, grows naturally in the Kütahya-Eskişehir region of Türkiye. This study investigates the chemical composition and biological activities of S. hololeuca extracts. The plant was subjected to various extraction methods, including essential oil, fatty acids, n-hexane, methanol, and water extracts. The GC-FID/MS technique was employed to analyze the chemical composition of essential oil and fatty acids. In the hydrodistilled essential oil, dodecanoic acid (11.000 ± 0.0015 %) and tetradecanoic acid (10.592 ± 0.033 %) were identified as the major volatile compounds. Volatile compounds in the leaves and flowers were extracted via the MSD-SPME technique, with alloaromadendrene (24.908 ± 0.033 %) as the predominant volatile in the leaves and naphthalene (14.106 ± 0.045 %) in the flowers. Lipophilic compounds, such as methyl nonadecanoate (44.903 ± 0.001 %) and methyl hexadecanoate (41.299 ± 0.011 %), were the main fatty acids in the leaves and flowers, respectively. The antioxidant potential of the extracts was evaluated through various assays, including DPPH• and ABTS+• free radical scavenging, lipid peroxidation inhibition (β-carotene bleaching), and ORAC. The methanol extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, with the strongest DPPH• scavenging activity (IC50 0.24 ± 0.01 mg/mL) and significant β-carotene inhibition (IC50 1.3 ± 0.02 mg/mL). The water extract showed the highest ORAC values. However, S. hololeuca extracts did not show effective α-amylase inhibition. The RP-HPLC analysis revealed o-coumaric and caffeic acids as major phenolic components in the methanol extract. These findings suggest potential industrial applications of S. hololeuca due to its rich chemical profile and antioxidant properties.