Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026)

Altitudinal effects on the chemical profile and antimicrobial activity of Selinum tenuifolium Salisb. essential oils

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12388
Submitted
23 October 2025
Published
14-04-2026 — Updated on 21-04-2026
Versions

Abstract

The volatile compositions of the aerial and underground sections of the wildly growing Selinum tenuifolium Salisb. (Apiaceae) in the Chopta region of Uttarakhand, India, plants were investigated at three varying elevations (2150 m, 2593 m and 3178 m). Field sampling was conducted in September 2021 during the flowering stage. Plant materials were collected from 3–4 individual plants at each elevation. Employing a Clevenger apparatus, we isolated the sample’s volatile elements, which were then analysed via capillary gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Six aerial components were discovered, making up 54 %, 67 % and 76 % of the total oil composition. Meanwhile, 18 elements constituted 77.6 %, 72.8 % and 75.0 % of the overall composition. Terpenoids, including α-Pinene, Limonene and 14-hydroxy-δ-cadinene, were the main components in the oil of underground regions. Antibacterial activity against 8 bacterial strains and antifungal activity against 4 fungi were both assessed on the oil samples. According to the findings, oil from underground regions growing at a height of 2150 m was effective against SA-96 and SE Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)=250 g/mL). Plants growing at an altitude of 2150 m produced essential oils that were very active against SE (MIC=125 g/mL). Maximum fungicidal activity against CA-227 (FIC=250 g/mL) was observed in oil from the underground and aerial parts growing at an altitude of 2150 m. Therefore, essential oils from both aerial and underground parts of S. tenuifolium harvested at 2150 m elevation are recommended as potential natural antifungal agents, particularly for controlling Candida albicans infections. This low-altitude population should be prioritised for sustainable cultivation and commercial development of antifungal formulations.

References

  1. 1. Adams RP. Identification of essential oil components by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. 5th ed. Gruver (TX): Texensis Publishing; 2017.
  2. 2. Chauhan RS, Nautiyal MC, Bahuguna YM, Figueredo G, Chalard P. 3,5-Nonadiyne-rich accession of Selinum tenuifolium Wall. from Dayara, Uttarakhand, Himalaya. J Essent Oil Bear Plants. 2017;20(5):878–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/0972060X.2017.1335242
  3. 3. Chauhan RS, Nautiyal MC, Figueredo G, Chalard P. Volatile composition of underground parts of Selinum vaginatum and possible uses. Chem Nat Compd. 2012;48(6):901–2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10600-012-0418-7
  4. 4. Chauhan RS, Nautiyal MC, Tava A, Mella M. Chemical composition of the volatile oil from the roots of Selinum tenuifolium Wall. Helv Chim Acta. 2012;95(5):780–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/hlca.201100480
  5. 5. Chauhan RS, Nautiyal MC, Tava A. Variability in the essential oil composition of Selinum vaginatum C.B. Clarke (Apiaceae) in north-west Himalaya, India. J Essent Oil Bear Plants. 2014;17(5):906–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/0972060X.2014.905873
  6. 6. Dev V, Oka M, Mathela CS, Murari ND, Stevens TH. The volatile constituents of the roots of Selinum tenuifolium. J Nat Prod. 1984;47(5):904–5. https://doi.org/10.1021/np50035a035
  7. 7. Devkota HP, Adhikari B, Watanabe T, Yahara S. Nonvolatile chemical constituents from the leaves of Ligusticopsis wallichiana (DC.) Pimenov & Kljuykov and their free radical-scavenging activity. J Anal Methods Chem. 2018;2018:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1794650
  8. 8. Fahlén A, Welander M, Wennersten R. Effects of light-temperature regimes on plant growth and essential oil yield of selected aromatic plants. J Sci Food Agric. 1997;73(1):111–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010(199701)73:1<111::AID-JSFA686>3.0.CO;2-2
  9. 9. Feng YX, Wang Y, Chen ZY, Guo SS, You CX, Du SS. Efficacy of bornyl acetate and camphene from Valeriana officinalis essential oil against two storage insects. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019;26(16):16157–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05035-y
  10. 10. Guedri Mkaddem M, Zrig A, Ben Abdallah M, Romdhane M, Okla MK, Al-Hashimi A, et al. Variation of the chemical composition of essential oils and total phenols content in natural populations of Marrubium vulgare L. Plants (Basel). 2022;11(5):612. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050612
  11. 11. Hernandes C, Taleb-Contini SH, Bartolomeu ACD, Bertoni BW, França SC, Pereira AMS. Chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oils of Schinus weinmannifolius collected in the spring and winter. Nat Prod Commun. 2014;9(9):1343–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X1400900940
  12. 12. Huie CW. A review of modern sample-preparation techniques for the extraction and analysis of medicinal plants. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2002;373(1):23–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-002-1265-3
  13. 13. Joshi D, Melkani AB, Nailwal MK, Prasad R, Bisht LS. Terpenoid composition of essential oil from a new chemotype of Selinum wallichianum Raizada & Saxena. Nat Prod Res. 2018;32(3):362–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2017.1356831
  14. 14. Joshi RK. Volatile oil composition of aerial parts of Selinum tenuifolium Wall ex C.B. Clarke from western Himalaya of Uttarakhand, India. J Med Plant Stud. 2016;4(5):8–10.
  15. 15. Kamatou GPP, Viljoen AM. A review of the application and pharmacological properties of α-bisabolol and α-bisabolol-rich oils. J Am Oil Chem Soc. 2010;87(1):1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-009-1483-3
  16. 16. Khalil N, El-Jalel L, Yousif M, Gonaid M. Altitude impact on the chemical profile and biological activities of Satureja thymbra L. essential oil. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-02982-9
  17. 17. Mangalagiri NP, Panditi SK, Jeevigunta NLL. Antimicrobial activity of essential plant oils and their major components. Heliyon. 2021;7(6):e07313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06835
  18. 18. Matuschek E, Brown DFJ, Kahlmeter G. Development of the EUCAST disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing method and its implementation in routine microbiology laboratories. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2014;20(4):O255–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-0691.12373
  19. 19. Mohan M, Singh P, Gupta VK, Lohani H, Gupta S. Chemical composition of Selinum tenuifolium Wall ex C.B. Clarke: a new source of α-bisabolol from north-western Himalaya. J Essent Oil Bear Plants. 2013;16(4):439–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/0972060X.2013.831567
  20. 20. Naczk M, Shahidi F. Phenolics in cereals, fruits and vegetables: occurrence, extraction and analysis. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2006;41(5):1523–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2006.04.002
  21. 21. Nazzaro F, Fratianni F, Coppola R, De Feo V. Essential oils and antifungal activity. Pharmaceutics. 2017;10(4):86. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph10040086
  22. 22. Padalia RC, Verma RS, Chauhan A, Chanotiya CS, Yadav A. Variation in the volatile constituents of different plant parts of Ligusticopsis wallichiana from western Himalaya, India. Nat Prod Commun. 2012;7(10):1357–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X1200700828
  23. 23. Sood S, Chopra MM, Jamwal RK. Essential oil of Selinum tenuifolium. Indian Perfumer. 1978;22(3):127–9.
  24. 24. Srichaikul B, Bunsang R, Samappito S, Butkhup S, Bakker G. Comparative study of chlorophyll content in leaves of Thai Morus alba Linn. species. Plant Sci Res. 2011;3(1):17–20. https://doi.org/10.3923/psres.2011.17.20
  25. 25. Srivastava RP, Dixit P, Singh L, Nagpoore NK, Pandey S, Verma PC, et al. HPTLC fingerprinting, photopigments and nutrient analysis of Selinum tenuifolium along the altitudinal gradient. J Liq Chromatogr Relat Technol. 2021;44(2):87–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826076.2020.1848861
  26. 26. Srivastava RP, Dixit P, Singh L, Verma PC, Saxena G. Status of Selinum spp. L., a Himalayan medicinal plant in India: a review of its pharmacology, phytochemistry and traditional uses. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2018;19(12):1122–34. https://doi.org/10.2174/1389201020666181227150829
  27. 27. Puškárová A, Bučková M, Kraková L, Pangallo D, Kozics K. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of six essential oils and their cyto/genotoxicity to human HEL 12469 cells. Sci Rep. 2017;7:8211. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08673-9
  28. 28. Sharifi-Rad J, Sureda A, Tenore GC, Daglia M, Sharifi-Rad M, Valussi M, et al. Biological activities of essential oils: from plant chemoecology to traditional healing systems. Molecules. 2017;22(1):70. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22010070
  29. 29. Singh BR, Singh V, Singh RK, Toppo S, Haque N, Ebibeni N. Antimicrobial activity on common pathogens in essential oil of aerial parts of Selinum wallichianum. Nat Prod. 2012;8:233–7.
  30. 30. Tewari M, Mathela CS. Chemical compositions of the leaf and root oils of Selinum tenuifolium Wall. Indian Perfumer. 2003;47(6):343–5.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.