Influence of the seasons on the chemical composition and biological properties of pistacia lentiscus L. essential oil in the mediterranean region

Abstract

Medicinal plants are effective in treating many infections. Pistacia lentiscus L., whose oil is recognized for its biological properties, is attracting growing interest in medical research. These biological properties are due to their chemical composition (CC), which various conditions, like climate, can affect. P. lentiscus EOs biological properties from December, May, and August were investigated in vitro; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) helped analyse their CC. Autodock Vina was used for molecular docking and SwissADME was used for ADMET analysis. The Eos of P. lentiscus leaves collected in December showed a remarkable presence of β-caryophyllene and β-myrcene. May Eos, α-pinene dominated, while August Eos, β-pinene, and D-limonene were predominant. The biological activity of Eos from P. lentiscus collected in August was highest compared to other periods. During this time (August), the leave’s Eos showed significant antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity. The computational molecular docking and ADMET results align with experimental evidence, lending scientific validation to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants from which these compounds were derived. These results provide valuable information on the seasonal dynamics of the CC of P. lentiscus Eos and underline the importance of taking environmental factors into account in studies of metabolite biosynthesis.