The chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from the leaves, stems, and roots of Kadsura coccinea (K. coccinea) were investigated. The essential oils were extracted by hydro distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Antioxidant activities of the essential oils were examined with DPPH radical scavenging assay, ABTS cation radical scavenging assay, and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay. Antimicrobial activities were evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum microbiocidal concentrations (MMC). Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of the essential oils were also tested. A total of 46, 44, and 47 components were identified in the leaf, stem, and root oils, representing 95.66%, 97.35%, and 92.72% of total composition, respectively. The major compounds of three essential oils were α-pinene (16.60–42.02%), β-pinene (10.03–18.82%), camphene (1.56–10.95%), borneol (0.50–7.71%), δ-cadinene (1.52–7.06%), and β-elemene (1.86–4.45%). The essential oils were found to have weak antioxidant activities and cholinesterase inhibition activities. The essential oils showed more inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) than those of other strains. The highest antimicrobial activity was observed in the root oil against S. aureus, with MIC of 0.78 mg/mL. Therefore, K. coccinea essential oils might be considered as a natural antibacterial agent against S. aureus with potential application in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Lindera glauca is a shrub or small tree mostly distributed in China, Japan and Korea. However, reports on the biological activities of Lindera glauca fruit essential oil (LGFEO) are limited. The study on its chemical composition, and antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory activities were performed, along with molecular docking of six selected compounds. The LGFEO was extracted by hydro distillation and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Antioxidant activities of LGFEO were evaluated by three methods with different mechanisms. Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities of LGFEO were tested. A total of 48 components were identified representing 95.74% of the total composition of LGFEO in which the major compounds were (E)-β-ocimene (41.53%), α-copaene (13.17%), δ-cadinene (6.20%), 3-carene (5.89%) and eucalyptol (3.57%). Weak antioxidant activities of LGFEO in three assays (9.52, 11.36 and 38.98 μmol TE/g, respectively) were observed. LGFEO showed obvious cholinesterase inhibitory activities at the final concentrations of 50 and 20 μg/mL. IC₅₀ values for acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase were 46.48 and 34.85 μg/mL, respectively. Molecular docking revealed that geranyl acetate, β-caryophyllene and limonene had lower binding affinities in the range of −7.1 to −6.1 kcal/mol through hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bond. Six compounds including 3-carene, limonene, eucalyptol, (E)-β-ocimene, geranyl acetate and β-caryophyllene could contribute together to cholinesterase inhibitory activities of LGFEO. This essential oil indicated low potential as natural antioxidant, but it could be potentially used as cholinesterase inhibitor with possible application in food, aromatherapy and pharmaceutical industries.

Acorus macrospadiceus is an aromatic herb that is widely distributed in southwest China. However, reports on the biological activities of its essential oil (EO) are limited. In the present study, the chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cholinesterase inhibitory activities were determined for essential oils extracted from the leaves and rhizomes of this species. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC/FID). Antioxidant activity was examined using DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum microbiocidal concentrations (MMCs). Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities of the essential oils were also tested to evaluate the potential effect of the EOs on neurodegenerative disease. A total of 15 and 19 components were identified in the leaf and rhizome EOs, representing 99.24% and 98.35% of the total composition, respectively. Estragole was found to be the most abundant compound at 98.14% and 94.69% of the leaf and rhizome EOs, respectively. The essential oils displayed weak antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. The essential oils showed higher inhibitory effects against Candida albicans than other strains, with a MIC of 3.13 mg/mL, indicating possible use in the treatment of Candida infections.