Molecular characterization, GC-MS analysis, and biological activities of Matricaria chamomilla var. recutita L. essential oils from Taounate, Morocco: In vitro and in silico investigations of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal effects

Molecular characterization, GC-MS analysis, and biological activities of Matricaria chamomilla var. recutita L. essential oils from Taounate, Morocco: In vitro and in silico investigations of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal effects | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Molecular characterization, GC-MS analysis, and biological activities of Matricaria chamomilla var. recutita L. essential oils from Taounate, Morocco: In vitro and in silico investigations of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal effects El-Mehdi El-Assri, Anouar Hmamou, Youssef El-Assri, Asmae Baghouz, and 11 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6693736/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 05 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 15 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Chamomile ( Matricaria chamomilla L.), a widely recognized medicinal plant, was investigated for its chemical composition, functional properties, and molecular characterization, focusing on samples cultivated in the Taounate region of Morocco. Essential oil (EO) was extracted using a Clevenger apparatus, and GC/MS analysis identified 26 compounds, with germacrene (19.46%), α-curcumene (19.00%), and caprinic acid (15.81%) as the major components. The EO exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with an IC₅₀ of 456.57 µg/mL against the DPPH radical. It demonstrated strong antibacterial effects, particularly against E. coli, with an inhibition zone of 21.50 ± 0.50 mm and a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 20.00 µg/mL. Antifungal activity was also notable, inhibiting Aspergillus niger by 31.19 ± 0.00 mm. In fumigation tests, the EO caused 100% insect mortality at 16 µL/L after 72 hours, with an LC₅₀ of 1.86 µL/L of air, and showed a 55% repellency rate at 12 µL/cm². DNA sequencing confirmed a 99.22% similarity with Matricaria chamomilla var. recutita (L.). These results highlight the EO's multifaceted biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal properties, underscoring its potential for applications in healthcare, agriculture, and food production. Biological sciences/Biochemistry Biological sciences/Drug discovery Biological sciences/Microbiology Biological sciences/Physiology Matricaria. chamomilla L. Morocco antioxidant activity molecular characterization essential oil bioresource valorization Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 1. Introduction Rising global population is increasing the demand for cereals, prompting the expansion and intensification of large-scale cereal production. However, this agricultural intensification has led to a surge in cereal pest populations, contributing to approximately one-third of global cereal losses (Murugesan et al. 2021 ). Callosobruchus maculatus is identified as a significant pest that poses a serious threat to stored grains. It is found globally and is particularly damaging to crops such as chickpeas, green beans, black beans, kidney beans, and cowpeas, especially in tropical and subtropical regions (Tuda et al. 2005 ). Damage caused by seed weevils, including weight loss and reduced nutritional quality, can lead to substantial economic and health-related impacts (Alves et al. 2019 ). In Africa, losses due to this pest can lead to food shortages and malnutrition (Banga et al. 2019 ). The widespread use of synthetic pesticides has contributed to the development of pesticide resistance among numerous insect populations, driving the search for natural alternatives that pose fewer risks to both the environment and human health (Abdelli et al. 2016 ). Essential oils demonstrate potential as an eco-friendly solution for managing stored grain pests. Notably, they exhibit higher efficacy even at lower concentrations, minimizing the risk of environmental harm (Ayslane et al. 2019 ; Oyedeji and Afolayan 2005 ). The rise of microbial pathogen resistance poses a significant threat to global health, as microorganisms are increasingly developing resistance mechanisms against antibiotics, antimicrobials, and even newly developed drugs (Abduljabbar and Aljanaby 2018; Noshad, Hojjati, and Alizadeh 2018 ). According to a simulation model, microbial resistance is projected to cause more than ten million deaths each year by 2050 (Soriano et al. 2020 ). The primary driver behind microbial pathogen resistance is the improper utilization of antibiotics and synthetic antimicrobials. Scientists are exploring novel compounds sourced from various outlets, such as medicinal plants, in the pursuit of infection treatments. (Abirami et al. 2021 ; Sharma et al. 2016). In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in using medicinal plants, rooted in tradition, to treat and cure ailments. (Jaadan et al. 2020 ). This increase in popularity is mainly attributable to the growing demand for these herbs, especially in emerging markets, where they are more affordable than conventional medicines (El-Assri et al. 2021 ; Hilah et al. 2016 ). In Africa, traditional medicine is used by more than 80% of the population. The continent is rich in plant diversity, with a significant number of species being harnessed for their medicinal properties. Globally, there are approximately 300,000 plant species, of which over 200,000 are found in the African tropics and are valued for their health benefits (Emmanuel and Didier 2012; Komoreng et al. 2017 ). Morocco is home to a substantial portion of its population that depends on medicinal plants for self-care and treatment (Bouyahya et al. 2016 ). Morocco's unique geographical location, diverse geological formations, varied topography, and favorable climate make it a vital center of plant biodiversity in North Africa (Eddouks, Ajebli, and Hebi 2016). Due to its diverse and varied environment, it exhibits exceptional plant diversity, with approximately 4,800 species (Verlaquea, Médailb, and Aboucaya 2001), distributed among 981 genera and 155 families (Fennane and Rejdali 2018). Among these, roughly 800 are indigenous (Dobignard and Chatelain 2010), and 1,600 taxa are classified as scarce (Fennane and Tattou 1999). Moreover, approximately 600 species are employed in herbal medicine (Hmamouchi 2005 ). Moroccan flora contributes to over half of the endemic species found in North African nations (Bakha et al. 2017 ). German chamomile ( Matricaria recutita , syn. Matricaria chamomilla ) is an annual herb belonging to the Asteraceae family (Mehmood et al. 2015 ). It is originally from Europe, Western Asia, North and East Africa (Lim 2014 ), now widely distributed worldwide (Singh et al. 2011 ). This plant is among the most widely used medicinal herbs globally, traditionally employed in the treatment of various conditions, including digestive disorders (Menale et al. 2021 ), sleep and hepatic disorders (Zivkovic et al. 2020 ), also used against pain and infections (Mikou, Rachiq, and Oulidi 2015), colds (Güzel, Mehmet and Miski 2015 ). M. chamomilla (L.) contains a variety of bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids, tannins, and coumarins, which contribute to its therapeutic properties. These constituents are responsible for its medicinal effects (Höferl et al. 2020 ). Studies have shown that German chamomile exhibits anti-inflammatory effects (Göger et al. 2018 ), antioxidant (Formisano et al. 2015 ), antifungal (Tolouee et al. 2010 ), antimicrobial (Romha et al. 2018 ), antispasmodic, sedative, and analgesic properties, among others (Tolouee et al. 2010 ). As a medicinal plant, German chamomile can be consumed in various forms, such as herbal tea, infusions, or extracts (Mehmood et al. 2015 ), Chamomile essential oil is widely utilized across various industries, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agri-food, and more, due to its versatile properties and benefits (Singh et al. 2011 ). To our knowledge, no prior studies have explored the molecular characterization and biological activities of the essential oil derived from the flowers of Matricaria chamomilla (L.). In this study, we aimed to address this gap by investigating the molecular characteristics, chemical composition, and biological properties of this essential oil. Specifically, we evaluated its antibacterial, antioxidant, and antifungal activities, with a focus on its efficacy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Additionally, we examined its insecticidal potential against Callosobruchus maculatus . 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Plant material and extraction of essential oil M. chamomilla (L.) flowers were harvested on the morning of April 1, 2022, during the peak flowering season, in the Tahar Souk region, located approximately 50 km from the town of Taounate, Morocco (geographical coordinates: 35°1'22" N, 4°8'27" W, altitude: 592 m). The region experiences a Mediterranean climate, with maximum temperatures soaring up to 40°C. The collected plant material was identified by botanist Amina Bari, a Professor in the Biology Department of the Faculty of Sciences Moulay Driss (FSMD), located in Fez, Morocco, and was assigned the specimen reference number 05-21-TT0015. The flowers of Matricaria chamomilla were air-dried in the laboratory under controlled conditions, protected from light and humidity, at room temperature. The essential oil of M. chamomilla (EO-MC) was extracted using a Clevenger apparatus in a 2-liter flask, where 100 grams of dried flowers were combined with 1 liter of distilled water. Following extraction, the EO-MC was dehydrated using anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered to remove impurities, and stored in sealed flasks at 4°C for subsequent use (El-Assri et al. 2021 ; El Moussaoui et al. 2021 ). All experimental research and field studies on Matricaria chamomilla (L.) complied with institutional, national, and international guidelines and legislation. The plant material was collected with appropriate authorization, and its identification was verified by a qualified botanist. No endangered or protected species were involved in this study. 2.2. Extraction and PCR of genomic DNA and sequencing The protocol described by Jawhari et al. ( 2023 ) was used for DNA extraction from randomly selected fresh M. chamomilla flowers of the same age (Jawhari et al. 2023 ). The Rbcl (Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase) region was amplified by PCR with the universal primers rbcL a-f (5'-ATGTCACCACAAACAGAGACTAAAGC3') and rbcL a-r (5'-GTAAAATCAAGTCCACCGCG3') (Parvathy et al. 2018 ). Amplification conditions were as follows: 35 cycles at 95°C for 4 min, 94°C for 30 seconds, 55°C for 1 min, 72°C for 1 min. PCR results were visualized by 1.5% agarose gel electrophoresis. Sequences were aligned and processed using ChromasPro sequence analysis software (version 2.1.10.1). They were then analyzed using Blast search to identify sequences homologous to each other in the GenBank databases. They were then deposited in the previous database. A phylogenetic tree was created from the sequences obtained. The M. chamomilla (L.) isolate was used to form a main group using MEGA 5.0 software. The sequence of Artemisia giraldii (OK128342) was selected as outgroup. The maximum likelihood (ML) approach was employed to compute phylogenetic connections. To evaluate the support for each branch in the resulting tree, 1000 bootstrap replications were conducted. 2.3. Oil of M. chamomilla (L.) identified by GC-MS Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was utilized to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO). Two capillary columns were employed for the analysis: an HP-5MS column with a non-polar stationary phase and a DB-HeavyWAX column with a polar stationary phase. Mass spectrometry was conducted in electron impact (EI) mode. The retention indices of the sample components were compared with those documented in the NIST-MS Search Version 2.0 library to accurately identify the compounds present in the EO (Atki et al. 2020 ; Mssillou et al. 2022 ). 2.4. Antioxidant activity in vitro The DPPH assay was conducted following the procedure suggested by El Moussaoui et al. (El Moussaoui et al. 2021 ). A 0.004% DPPH solution was prepared, and 100 µl of M. chamomilla (L.) essential oil extract, diluted to various concentrations in methanol, was mixed with 750 µl of the DPPH solution. The same procedure was applied to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a synthetic antioxidant, also diluted to different concentrations in methanol. After incubating for 30 minutes at room temperature, absorbance at 517 nm was measured using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer (JENWAY 85617). The percentage inhibition of DPPH (PI%) was computed using the following equation: $$\:\mathbf{P}\mathbf{I}\left(\mathbf{\%}\right)\:=\:100\times\:(\mathbf{A}0\:-\:\mathbf{A}/\mathbf{A}0)\:\:$$ PI stands for the percentage of inhibition. A0 indicates the absorbance of the negative control (DPPH without the sample), while A represents the absorbance of the sample with DPPH. 2.5. The antibacterial activity of EO-MC The antibacterial effects of EOMC were evaluated against four bacterial strains: Proteus mirabilis ATCC29906, Escherichia coli K12, Klebsiella pneumoniae CIP A22, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6633. These strains were obtained from the CHU Hassan II in Fez. The zone of inhibition was determined using the disk diffusion technique. Bacterial strains were introduced onto Petri dishes filled with Mueller-Hinton agar at a concentration of 10 6 to 10 8 CFU/mL (0.5 McFarland). Following this, 6 mm-diameter filter paper discs were soaked with 20 µL of EOMC, and a positive control was conducted using streptomycin antibiotic (25 µg/disc). The plates were incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. After incubation, the diameter of growth inhibition zones was assessed. The results, expressed in millimeters, were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of EOMC (El Barnossi, Moussaid, and Housseini 2020; El-Assri et al. 2021 ; Lafraxo, Barnossi, et al. 2022). 2.6. Antifungal activity The study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of OE-MC against four fungal species: Candida albicans ATCC, Aspergillus flavus , Fusarium oxysporum MTCC9913, and Aspergillus niger MTCC282. To perform the test, fungi were inoculated onto Petri dishes containing malt agar extract medium. Then, 6 mm Whatman paper discs were soaked with 20µL of OE-MC. The plates were incubated for 7 days at 30°C for A. niger , A. flavus and F. oxysporum , while C. albicans was incubated at 37°C for 24–48 hours. Positive controls were included using the antibiotic Fluconazole (15mg/mL). After the incubation, the inhibition diameter (in mm) was measured for C. albicans , while growth in mm was assessed for both the negative and positive tests. This data was then used to calculate the percentage of inhibition for strains of filamentous fungi using the following formula (Moussaid et al. 2019 ): $$\:\varvec{\%}\:\varvec{I}\varvec{n}\varvec{h}\varvec{i}\varvec{b}\varvec{i}\varvec{t}\varvec{i}\varvec{o}\varvec{n}=\frac{\mathbf{N}\mathbf{e}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{a}\mathbf{t}\mathbf{i}\mathbf{v}\mathbf{e}\:\mathbf{t}\mathbf{e}\mathbf{s}\mathbf{t}-\mathbf{P}\mathbf{o}\mathbf{s}\mathbf{i}\mathbf{t}\mathbf{i}\mathbf{v}\mathbf{e}\:\mathbf{t}\mathbf{e}\mathbf{s}\mathbf{t}}{\mathbf{N}\mathbf{e}\mathbf{g}\mathbf{a}\mathbf{t}\mathbf{i}\mathbf{v}\mathbf{e}\:\mathbf{t}\mathbf{e}\mathbf{s}\mathbf{t}}\times\:100$$ 2.7. Measurement of minimum inhibitory concentration The MICs of OE-MC against the four fungal and four bacterial strains were determined using the micro-dilution method, following the protocol described by Sarker et al. (Sarker, Nahar, and Kumarasamy 2007). Briefly, a sterile 96-well microplate was employed. For bacterial and fungal strains, 50 µl of Mueller-Hinton (M-H) medium and malt extract (ME), respectively, were added to each well. EO-MC was diluted at a ratio of 1/10 (v/v) in 10% DMSO, and 100 µl of this solution was dispensed into the first column of the microplate. Subsequently, microbial strains (30 µl) were added following a 1:2 dilution series up to column 11. Plates were placed in incubators at 37°C or 30°C for 24 h, 48 h or 7 days, respectively for bacteria, C. albicans and filamentous fungi. Following the incubation period, 20 µl of a 0.2% solution of 2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazolium-chloride was added to each well to facilitate the visualization of microbial growth (El Abdali et al. 2023 ). The MIC was defined as the minimum concentration that did not lead to red coloration, and the outcomes were expressed in mg/ml. 2.8. Insecticidal action against C. maculatus 2.8.1. Fumigation test The fumigation experiment evaluated the efficacy of essential oil vapors against C. maculatus using sealed 1L containers. Whatman No. 1 paper squares (3 x 3 cm) were saturated with varying concentrations of essential oil (4–20 µl/L of air) and attached to the inner surface of the container lids to prevent direct contact with the insects. Ten pairs of C. maculatus , aged 0–48 hours, were introduced into each container. The experiment included repeated treatments and an untreated control group. Mortality rates were recorded daily for five days under controlled environmental conditions (temperature 27 ± 1°C, relative humidity 70 ± 5%, and a 14:10 light/dark photoperiod). The process continued until complete mortality of bruchid insects was observed in all treated groups (Baghouz et al. 2022 ). Total adult mortality was calculated using Abbott’s formula (Abbott 1925 ): $$\:\mathbf{P}\mathbf{v}=\frac{\varvec{P}\varvec{a}-\varvec{P}\varvec{i}}{100-\varvec{P}\varvec{i}}\:\:\times\:100$$ Where: Pc : percentage mortality, Pi : mortality observed in the negative control and Pa : mortality observed in the test. 2.8.2. Repellent effect of EO-MR The repellency of EO-MC against adults C. maculatus was evaluated using the preferential zone methodology on filter paper, following the method described by (McDonald, Guy, and Speirs 1970). Half-discs of Whatman N o 1 paper (8 cm) were treated with different doses of EO-MC (4–20 µl/0.5 ml acetone) or with pure acetone as a control. After allowing the treated halves to dry, they were reassembled into full discs, and five pairs of adult insects were placed at the center. Repellency was assessed 30 minutes later based on the distribution of the insects, using the formula by McDonald et al. (McDonald, Guy, and Speirs 1970): Repellency percentage (RP) is determined by comparing the number of C. maculatus adults found on the acetone-treated (control) side (N) to those on the essential oil-treated side (NT). 2.9. Molecular Docking The study explored the effects of OE-MC on insecticidal, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities through molecular docking techniques. 2.9.1. Preparation of the ligand We retrieved all GC/MS-identified molecules of EOMC from the PubChem database in SDF format. Subsequently, Schrödinger's Maestro 11.5 software was used to prepare the molecular structures. The OPLS3 force field was applied, and the LigPrep tool was employed to generate 32 stereoisomers for each ligand, considering ionization states at pH 7.0 ± 2.0 (Lafraxo, Moussaoui, et al. 2022). 2.9.2. Protein preparation Proteins targeting NADPH oxidase (2CDU.pdb) (Herrera-calderon et al. 2021 ), β-ketoacyl synthase from E. coli K12 (PDB ID: 1FJ4), nucleoside diphosphate kinase from Staphylococcus aureus (PDB ID: 3Q8U), β-1,4 endoglucanase from A. niger (PDB ID: 5I77), sterol 14-alpha demethylase (CYP51) from C. albicans (PDB ID: 5FSA) (Tourabi et al. 2023 ), and the crystal structure of an insecticide-resistant acetylcholinesterase (PDB ID: 6ARY) were obtained from the RCSB protein database (pdb) (Venugopala et al. 2020 ). These proteins were then prepared according to the standard protocol by removing water molecules and all corresponding co-crystallized ligands while adding Gasteiger fillers. The prepared proteins were docked to the main compound of the plant under study using Autodock software. Finally, all the interactions produced were visualized using Discovery Studio software (Amrati et al. 2023 ). 2.10. Statistical Analysis Mean standard deviation values were acquired using GraphPad Prism 8.0.1. Statistical analysis was conducted employing ANOVA, followed by Tukey's test. Significance was determined by a p-value of less than 0.05. 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Molecular identification of M. chamomilla (L.) PCR amplification of the rbcL gene yielded products approximately 600 bp in size. Sample A ( M. chamomilla (L.)) demonstrated strong amplification of the rbcL primer. BLAST analysis, conducted using the NCBI GenBank, revealed that sequence A exhibited 99.29% identity with M. chamomilla var. recutita . The sequence was subsequently deposited in the GenBank database under the accession number OR838665 and identified as M. chamomilla var. recutita . Using the Neighbor-Joining (NJ) method for phylogenetic analysis, the rbcL gene was shown to be a reliable tool for species identification and classification. Genetic similarities among species were utilized to construct phylogenetic trees, facilitating a deeper understanding of evolutionary relationships (Sundari et al. 2019). In this study, the analyzed plant sample clustered within a single clade of M. chamomilla (Fig. 1 ), indicating a very close genetic relationship. 3.2. Volatile profile of essential oil The yield of MCEO, obtained by Clevenger, was approximately 0.45 ± 0.26% (w/w), with the identification of 26 chemical compounds in the EO-MC representing 99.96% of the overall EO (Fig. 2 and Table 1 ). Analysis via GC/MS indicated that sesquiterpenes comprised the predominant chemical class in EO-MC, accounting for 56.57%, followed by monoterpenes at 30.15%. The main components were germacrene (19.46%), followed by alpha-curcumene (19.00%) and caprylic acid (15.81%). It's worth mentioning that the yield rate achieved in this research is inferior to that reported in earlier studies by Neelav et al ., and Mahdavi et al ., who documented rates of 1.27% and 0.65%, respectively (Mahdavi et al. 2019 ; Sarma et al. 2023 ). However, it exceeds the rate reported by Hajjaj et al. , who documented a rate of 0.4% (Hajjaj et al. 2014 ). The findings align with previous studies, indicating that the EO-MC from Romania is predominantly comprised of sesquiterpenes (91.65%), with oxyde de bisabolol A (70.2%) being the most abundant component (Berechet et al. 2017 ). Similarly, Neelav et al. (2023) demonstrated that M. chamomilla in India has a predominance of sesquiterpenes, representing 92.75% of the identified compounds (Sarma et al. 2023 ). Research carried out in Brazil by Demarque et al . (2012) revealed that OE-MC was composed by 18 elements, of which alpha-bisabolol oxide B (26.08%), beta-farnesene (16.35%) and bisabolol oxide A (14.7%) are the main constituents (Demarque et al. 2012). In contrast, Fadel et al . (2020) discovered 16 compounds, constituting 96.0% of the essential oil. The principal constituents found were alpha-Bisabolol oxide A (45.5%), alpha-bisabolol oxide B (14.7%), cis-beta-farnesene (5.7%), alpha- bisabolone oxide A (12.9%) and cis-beta-farnesene (5.7%) (Hanem et al. 2020 ). Further research by Stanojevic et al. ( 2016 ) revealed the presence of 52 different compounds in OE-MC, with (E)-β-farnesene (29.8%) being the main constituent, followed by α-farnesene (9.3%) and alpha-bisa- bolol oxide A (7%) (Stanojevic et al. 2016 ). The content and chemical composition of plant essences can fluctuate due to a variety of environmental factors. These include the specific part of the plant used, the plant's stage of development, its maturity, the time of harvest and even the plant's genetic heritage (Tourabi et al. 2023 ). Table 1 Phytochemical composition of M. chamomilla identified by GC/MS Peak Retention time Compound Retention index Chemical formula Terpene class Area (%) 1 10.771 p-Menthane 979 C 10 H 20 MNT 1.97 2 10.834 Eucalyptol 1014 C 10 H 18 O MNT 1.25 3 11.475 Prenyl isobutyrate 1054 C 9 H1 6 O 2 O 1.41 4 12.309 Germacrene 1485 C 15 H 24 MNQ 19.46 5 13.684 Phenyl-tert-butanol 1158 C 10 H 14 O MNT 3.34 6 14.099 Limonen-10-ol 1289 C 10 H 16 O MNT 2.21 7 16.909 Butanoate 1141 C 10 H 18 O 2 MNT 1.54 8 20.346 Caprinic acid 1201 C 10 H 20 O MNT 15.81 9 22.646 β-Farnesene 1442 C 15 H 24 MNQ 1.24 10 22.730 Prenyl isobutyrate 1054 C 9 H 16 O 2 O 0.97 11 23.315 β-Himachalene 1500 C 15 H 24 MNQ 7.67 12 23.384 alpha-Curcumene 1515 C 15 H 24 MNQ 19.00 13 24.271 Prenyl cyclopentanone 1227 C 10 H 16 O MNT 1.08 14 24.783 Piperitenone oxide 1368 C 10 H 14 O 2 MNT 1.52 15 25.921 curcumene 1480 C 15 H 22 MNQ 1.08 16 26.004 Spathulenol 1578 C 15 H 24 O MNQ 2.15 17 26.456 Globulol 1590 C 15 H 26 O MNQ 0.95 18 27.481 Pinene 1099 C 10 H 16 O MNT 1.43 19 30.052 α-Santalene 1417 C 15 H 24 MNQ 1.43 20 31.594 α-Patchoulene 1456 C 15 H 24 MNQ 1.21 21 35.451 Bisabolene 1515 C 15 H 24 MNQ 1.21 22 38.334 Eicosane 2000 C 20 H 42 MND 3.09 23 39.119 Methyl linoleate 2085 C 19 H 34 O 2 O 1.37 24 41.942 Tetradecanal 1612 C 14 H 28 O O 2.69 25 45.220 Triacontane 3000 C 30 H 62 MTT 3.74 26 48.230 Bisabolone oxide 1685 C 15 H 24 O 2 MNQ 1.17 Terpene class Monoterpenes (MNT) 30.15 Sesquiterpenes (MNQ) 56.57 Diterpenes (MND) 3.06 Triterpenes (MTT) 3.74 Other (O) 6.44 Total 99.96 3.3. Scavenging of the Free Radical DPPH • The DPPH assay is a widely used method for evaluating the antioxidant activity of substances in laboratory settings. The test is based on the transfer of hydrogen (H) atoms or electrons (E) from antioxidant compounds to DPPH radicals dissolved in a solution. This interaction causes the DPPH radicals to change color from purple to yellow, signifying the formation of a stable diamagnetic molecule as a result of their reaction with reducing substances (Nchez 2002 ). The alteration in color is quantified spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 517 nm (Magalhaes et al. 2008 ). This method is highly effective and useful for assessing antioxidant activity. Lower IC 50 values indicate a higher antioxidant capacity of the sample (Beniaich et al. 2022 ; Moussaoui et al. 2019 ). The antioxidant capacity of EO-MC was assessed using the DPPH test. The results obtained are summarized in Table 2 . EO-MC demonstrated PDPH inhibition with an IC 50 value of approximately 456.57 µg/mL. For BHT, a standard antioxidant, the IC 50 value was 17.83 µg/mL (Fig. 3 ). Table 2 Antibacterial activity (mm) and MIC in (µg/mL) of EO-MC against the bacterial strains tested. Essential oil Streptomycin E. coli ATCC29213 Diameter of inhibition (mm) 21.5 ± 0.5 a 20.9 ± 0.36 a MIC (µg/mL) 20.0 ± 0.00 a 1.56 ± 0.00 b S. aureus ATCC6633 Diameter of inhibition (mm) 11.67 ± 0.58 a 22.5 ± 0.2 b MIC (µg/mL) 2.5 ± 0.0 a 1.56 ± 0.0 a K. pneumoniae CIP A22 Diameter of inhibition (mm) 12.5 ± 1.5 a 17.6 ± 0.36 b MIC (µg/mL) 5.00 ± 0.0 a 3.125 ± 0.0 b P. mirabilis ATCC 29906 Diameter of inhibition (mm) 15.5 ± 1.03 a 16.73 ± 0.25 a MIC (µg/mL) 6.25 ± 0.0 a 3.125 ± 0.0 b Mean values (± SD, n = 3) labeled with distinct letters within the same row denote a significant contrast (ANOVA II, Tukey tests at p < 0.05). A literature review highlighted several studies on the antioxidant activity of EO-MC. One study conducted in Bosnia-Herzegovina revealed that essential oils derived from this species exhibit an IC 50 concentration of 2.07 mg/mL (Stanojevic et al. 2016 ). Another study, conducted in northern Iran, reported an IC 50 concentration of 5.63 mg/mL for EO-MC, further supporting its antioxidant properties (Ayoughi et al. 2011 ). These findings align with those reported by Chouia et al. ( 2018 ) and Qasem et al. ( 2022 ), who documented IC 50 values of 416.57 µg/mL and 533.89 ± 15.05 µg/mL, respectively, further corroborating the antioxidant potential of EO-MC (Chouia et al. 2018 ; Qasem et al. 2022 ). Conversely, these values are lower than those reported by Mahdavi et al. ( 2019 ) and Zeynep Demirci et al. (2018), who recorded IC 50 values of 793.89 ± 15.45 µg/mL and 2.20 mg/mL, respectively. This variability may reflect differences in experimental conditions, plant origin, or extraction methods (Mahdavi et al. 2019 ; Zeynep, Demirci, and Demirci 2018). Furthermore, our results surpass those published by Sarma et al. ( 2023 ) and Abdoul-latif et al. (2011), who recorded IC 50 values of 21.95 and 4.18 µg/mL, respectively. (Abdoul-latif et al. 2011; Sarma et al. 2023 ). 3.4. Bacterial activity of EO-MC The EO-MC compound showed considerable anti-bacterial activity versus all four types of bacteria tested, in particular Gram-negative bacteria such as Proteus mirabilis ATCC29906, Escherichia coli K12 and Klebsiella pneumoniae CIP A22 and Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6633. The results of the disk diffusion method (Table 2 ) indicate that EO-MC blocked the growth of all examined species. Among the bacterial strains tested, the largest diameter of inhibition was found for E. coli (21.5 ± 0.5 mm), followed by P. mirabilis (15.5 ± 1.03 mm) and K. pneumoniae (12.5 ± 1.5 mm). The smallest inhibition diameter was found for S. aureus (11.667 ± 0.577 mm). These findings suggest that all the bacteria tested showed sensitivity to EO-MC. MIC results for EO-MC indicate that the lowest value was observed for S. aureus (2.5 ± 0.02 µg/mL), while the highest value was observed for E. coli (20.0 µg/mL). Essential oils of M. recutita , collected in Algeria, showed significant efficacy versus K. pneumoniae , E. coli and P. aeruginosa bacteria, with zones of inhibition varying from 10.67 mm to 18.33 mm (Chouia et al. 2018 ). In a Moroccan study by El-Assri et al. ( 2021 ), essential oil derived from M. recutita (L.) was shown to have considerable antibacterial efficacy versus B. subtilis , with a 15.2 mm diameter of inhibition and a MIC of 6.25 µL/mL, followed by S. aureus (14.13 mm) and an MIC of 8.33 µL/mL, then E. coli (13.28 mm) and an MIC of 8.33 µL/mL, and finally P. aeruginosa (13.07 mm) and an MIC of 8.33 µL/mL (El-Assri et al. 2021 ). In Iran, Kazemi et al (2015) demonstrated that EO-MC possessed significant anti-bacterial activity versus S. aureus , B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa , with zones of inhibition reaching up to 32 mm (Kazemi 2015 ). Conversely, oil extracted from M. recutita from the Horn of Africa (Djibouti) showed very encouraging antibacterial effects against eleven bacterial strains, with inhibition diameters of between 14 mm and 30 mm, while MICs vary from 1 to 4 µg/mL (Abdoul-latif et al. 2011). In addition, Soković et al. ( 2010 ) demonstrated that the MIC of M. recutita essential oil was 7 µg/mL (B. subtilis), 8 µg/mL ( S. aureus ) and 10 µg/mL (E. coli and P. aeruginosa ). (Soković et al. 2010 ). Other publications have shown that EO-MC was capable of destroying S.aureus , followed by E. coli and Salmonella enterica , with diameter of inhibition of 40, 31 and 25 mm, resp (Shakya et al. 2019 ). Mahdavi et al. ( 2019 ) demonstrated that M. recutita essential oil was effective against P. aeruginosa ATCC27853 (108.77%), Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 14506 (106.7%), E. coli ATCC (99.66%) and K. pneumoniae ATCC 13883 (75.04%) (Mahdavi et al. 2019 ). Numerous previous studies have shown that positive Gram bacteria are more susceptible than negative Gram bacteria (Barbosa et al. 2015 ; Kazemi 2015 ). However, this study is contrary to the previous one, as Gram-negative bacteria, such as E. coli , were found to be more sensitive to EO-MC. 3.5. Antifungal activity of EO-MC The percentages of inhibition and MIC values of EO-MC versus the 4 fungal strains tested are shown in Table 3 . The findings show that EO-MC exerts significant antifungal activity, with higher percentages of inhibition against A. niger (31.19%) than against A. flavus (17%). MIC values for EO-MC varied between 0.02 ± 0.0 to 0.04 ± 0.0 µg/ml. The results of this investigation align with previous scientific research demonstrating the antifungal efficacy of OE-MC versus various fungal strains. Al-snafi ( 2016 ), Göger et al. ( 2018 ), Roby et al. ( 2012 ), and Tolouee et al. ( 2010 ) have all documented similar findings in their respective studies (Al-snafi 2016 ; Göger et al. 2018 ; Roby et al. 2012 ; Tolouee et al. 2010 ). The results obtained concerning the antifungal activity of EOMCs are consistent with results published in 2012 in Egypt by Roby et al ( 2012 ) (Roby et al. 2012 ), who showed antifungal activity of EOMCs against C. albicans ATCC10231 a 14 mm inhibition diameter and a MIC of 10 µg/mL, while the inhibition diameter of A. flavus ATCC 16875 was 18 mm and the MIC 12.5 µg/mL. Abdoul-latif et al (2011) conducted a study in Djibouti, which demonstrated notable antifungal effects versus C. albicans ATCC10231, with a 20 mm zone of inhibition and a MIC of 1 µg/mL. In addition, they observed activity against A. niger , with an inhibition zone of 17 mm and a MIC of 2 µg/Ml (Abdoul-latif et al. 2011). In parallel, results obtained in another study revealed significant antifungal efficacy, notably against A. flavus AFl375, A. niger FC24771, F. culmorum CBS 128537 with percentage inhibition of 10.66–52.33%, 89.66–100%, 91-86.66%, respectively (EL-Hefny et al. 2019 ). Moreover, Prabodh Satyal et al. ( 2015 ) indicated that the MIC of EOMC against C. albicans ATCC10231 was 313 µg/mL, and for A. niger ATCC 16888, it was 625 µg/mL. (Satyal, Shrestha, and Setzer 2015). Table 3 Antifungal activity (% inhibition) and MIC (mg/mL) of EO-MC against fungal strains tested. Essential oil Fluconazole C. albicans ATCC10231 Diameter of inhibition (mm) 28.33 ± 0.58 a 41.33 ± 1.15 b MIC (mg/mL) 0.04 ± 0.00 a 0.0125 ± 0.00 b A. niger MTCC282 Percentage of inhibition (%) 31.19 ± 0.00 a 47.67 ± 1.53 b MIC (mg/mL) 0.02 ± 0.00 a 0.0062 ± 0.00 b A. flavus MTCC9606 Percentage of inhibition (%) 17.00 ± 0.00 a 43.67 ± 1.53 b MIC (mg/mL) 0.04 ± 0.00 a 0.0125 ± 0.00b a F. oxysporum MTCC9913 Percentage of inhibition (%) 23.47 ± 0.7 a 59.17 ± 0.76 b MIC (mg/mL) 0.02 ± 0.00 a 0.0062 ± 0.00 b Mean values (± SD, n = 3) labeled with distinct letters within the same row denote a significant contrast (ANOVA II, Tukey tests at p < 0.05). 3.6. Insecticide activity test 3.6.1. Fumigation test The results of the study, illustrated in Fig. 4 and Table 4 , show a direct correlation between the applied dose, the duration of exposure, and the mortality of adult C. maculatus. Statistical testing revealed a significant correlation between C. maculatus adult mortality and the dose applied, as well as the duration of exposure (F = 271.73; df = 4, 40; P < 0.0001; F = 129.76; df = 3, 40; P < 0.0001). After a 72-hour exposure period, EO-MC showed increased toxicity at higher concentrations of 20 and 16 µL/L of air. In fact, EO-MC caused 100% absolute mortality in insects at concentrations of 16 µL/L and above after 72 hours' exposure (Table 3 ). The median lethal concentration (LC 50 ) of EO-MC was 20.64 and 1.86 µL/L of air after 24 and 72 hours, respectively. These findings suggest that EO-MC compounds are relatively more toxic to C. maculatus adults. The findings of this study align closely with those reported by Tandorost et al . (2012), El-Khyat et al. ( 2017 ), and Arannilewa et al. ( 2006 ), demonstrating a positive relationship between mortality rates and the duration and dosage of exposure (Arannilewa, Ekrakene, and Akinneye 2006 ; El-Khyat et al. 2017 ; Tandorost and Karimpour 2012). Similarly, the results are consistent with previous research conducted by Abouellata et al. ( 2016 ), indicating that MC essential oil exhibits strong insecticidal activity against C. maculatus adults, with a lethal concentration (LC 50 = 2.058 mg/L) observed after 24 hours of fumigation (Abouellata et al. 2016 ). Moreover, OE-MC displayed potent insecticidal effects against E. cautella adults at concentrations of 62.5, 125, and 250 mg/L of air over a 72-hour exposure period. Additionally, Mousavi et al. ( 2020 ) found that chamomile essential oil was more efficacious against this pest compared to other essential oils (Mousavi, Ghosta, and Maroofpour 2020 ). Furthermore, several studies have highlighted the effectiveness of essential oils rich in sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes against insect pests due to their potent volatile nature (Karabörklü, Ayvaz, and Semih Yilmaz 2011; Tourabi et al. 2023 ; Tunc et al. 2000 ). Table 4. LC 50 and χ2 of EO-MC against C. maculatus adults. 3.6.2. Repellency test For generations, aromatic plants have served as highly efficient natural insect repellents in traditional herbal medicine (Pavela 2016 ). Several studies have evaluated the repellent properties of chamomile species against agricultural pests (Mousavi and Maroof 2020). This study assessed the repellent potential of OE-MC versus C. maculatus insects using the surface preference technique on filter paper. The results presented in Fig. 5 indicate that the repellent effect of OE-MC correlates with dosage. Specifically, at the smallest concentration examined (4 µL/cm2), a repellent effect of 30 ± 1.54% was observed. In contrast, at the highest concentration (20 µL/cm 2 ), a repellent effect of 55 ± 19.14% was observed against C. maculatus adults. Based on a concentration of 12 µL/cm 2 , OE-MC was found to have an average repellency of 55%, using the calculation method of McDonald et al ( 1970 ) (McDonald, Guy, and Speirs 1970). The findings of this study accord with those of Allali et al. ( 2022 ), who also observed an average repellent activity (50.83%) of OE-MC against C. maculatus adults at a concentration of 20 µL/cm² (Allali et al. 2022 ). Similarly, El-Khyat et al. ( 2017 ) showed that EO-MC presented moderate repellent activity (49.33 ± 1.33%) at the concentration of 62.5 mg/L of air against E. cautella (El-Khyat et al. 2017 ). These data indicate that EO-MC could be used as a natural repellent against harmful agricultural insects. Essential oils comprise intricate blends of volatile organic compounds, encompassing monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenes. These constituents exhibit insecticidal attributes, particularly by perturbing the hormonal equilibrium of insects (Ahn et al. 1998 ; Rattan and Summt 2010). 3.7. Molecular Docking During the assessment of antioxidant activity, three molecules namely butanoate, bisabolone oxide, and piperitenone oxide were found to be the most potent ones targeting the NAD(P)H oxidase active site. Butanoate was found to have the highest value of -5.313 kcal/mol, followed by bisabolone oxide with a value of -5.301 kcal/mol and piperitenone oxide with a value of -4.997 kcal/mol (Table 5 ). Moreover, butanoate showed interactions with two residues, TYR 159 and ILE 160, in the NAD(P)H oxidase active site, forming two H-bonds (Fig. 6 A and 7 A). Table 5 Docking results of ligand in the active sites. Glide Gscore (kcal/mol) Antioxidant Activity Insecticide-resistant Antibacterial Activity Antifungal Activity Title 2CDU 6ARY 1FJ4 3Q8U 5FSA 5I77 α-Curcumene -3.029 -5.197 -4.722 -4.278 -5.841 -2.813 β-Bisabolene - -5.314 -5.411 -4.056 -4.896 -2.776 β-Himachalene -3.82 -6.415 -3.808 -3.112 -6.854 -3.749 Bisabolone oxide -5.301 -6.988 -4.216 -5.252 -6.079 -3.87 Butanoate -5.313 -4.408 -4.846 -7.903 -4.312 -3.411 Eucalyptol -3.312 -4.665 -5.703 -3.275 -4.739 -4.451 Germacrene -3.481 -5.53 -4.382 -3.72 -6.19 -3.243 Globulol -3.762 -6.916 -4.493 -4.279 -6.909 -4.506 Limonen-10-ol -3.785 -5.175 -5.694 -4.223 -5.672 -4.039 Phenyl-tert-butanol -4.639 -4.843 -5.595 -4.384 -6.806 -5.06 Piperitenone oxide -4.997 -6.052 -7.098 -4.276 -5.606 -4.629 p-Menthane -4.173 -5.874 -5.81 -4.49 -5.82 -3.753 Spathulenol -3.806 -5.978 -5.981 -4.126 -7.015 -4.86 Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a common mechanism of action for many insecticides. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that degrades the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the nervous system. In insects, acetylcholine plays a crucial role in transmitting nerve impulses at synapses. Inhibiting acetylcholinesterase leads to an accumulation of acetylcholine, disrupting normal nerve function, and ultimately causing the insect's death (Fulton and Key 2001; Mirjana B.Colovic et al. 2013). In our in silico study, bisabolone oxide, Globulol and Prenyl cyclopentanone exhibited the greatest inhibitory impact on acetylcholinesterase, Glide Gscore values for these compounds were − 6.988, -6.916 and − 6.626 kcal/mol respectively (Table 5 ). In addition, bisabolone oxide established a unique H-bond with residue TYR 282 in the acetylcholinesterase active site, as illustrated in Fig. 6 B and 7 B. In addition, the antibacterial effectiveness of a substance was tested against Escherichia coli K12 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6633 bacteria. The results showed that EO-MC had glide Gscores of -7.098, -6.545, and − 6.510 kcal/mol against E. coli β-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase, while butanoate, bisabolone oxide, and p-menthane were most effective against S. aureus nucleoside diphosphate kinase, with glide Gscores of -7.903, -5.252, and − 4.490 kcal/mol, respectively (Table 5 ). Furthermore, Figs. 6 C and 7 C show that piperitenone oxide formed two H-bonds with residues THR 300 and THR 302 in the active site of E. coli beta-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase. Meanwhile, Butanoate formed a single hydrogen bond with residue HIE 52 and a salt bridge with residue MG 159 in the active site of S. aureus nucleoside diphosphate kinase, as shown in Fig. 6 D and 7 D. In the evaluation of antifungal activity against C. albicans and A. niger , certain molecules were identified as active in the active site of sterol 14-alpha demethylase (CYP51) of the pathogenic yeast C. albicans . Spathulenol, globulol, and beta-himachalene were found to be active with glide Gscores of -7.015, -6.909, and − 6.854 kcal/mol, respectively (Table 5 ). In the active site of a beta-1,4-endoglucanase from A niger , researchers identified phenyl-tert-butanol, spathulenol, and piperitenone oxide as the most effective molecules. These molecules had glide gscore values of -5.060, -4.860, and − 4.629 kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, among these three, phenyl-tert-butanol established a single hydrogen bond with residue TYR 227 in the same active site (Table 5 , Fig. 6 F and 7 F). 4. Conclusion The research findings reveal that EO-MC, extracted from Taounate chamomile, exhibits a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal properties. Rich in bioactive compounds such as sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes, EO-MC is known for its ability to shield cells from oxidative stress. Additionally, it has demonstrated significant antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal effects against a variety of microbes and insects, including antibiotic-resistant strains and the cowpea bruchid ( C. maculatus ). These findings highlight the potential of EO-MC as a therapeutic and preventive agent for combating oxidative damage, bacterial and fungal infections, and insect infestations. Declarations Author contribution: Conceptualization, E.E., and A.B., methodology, E.E., A.H., Y.E., A.B., software, A.H., R.B., and M.C.; validation, E.E., A.B.; formal analysis, E.E., Y.A., and A.B.; investigation, A.M., and N.R.; resources, A.B., E.E.; data curation, A.H., and A.L.,; writing—original draft preparation, E.E., A.H., and Y.E.; writing—review and editing, A.El., M.B., and N.E.; visualization, A.B., and A.S.A.; supervision, A.B.; funding acquisition, A.S.A. Project administration, A.B., All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Researchers Supporting project number (RSP2025R119), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Acknowledgments Authors are thankful to the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP2025R119), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data Availability Statement The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. References Abbott, WS. 1925. A Method Of Computing The Effectiveness Of An Insecticide. J Econ Entomol. 18: 265–67. El Abdali, Youness et al. 2023. Exploring the Bioactive Compounds in Some Apple Vinegar Samples and Their Biological Activities. plants. 12: 3850. Abdelli, Meriem, Houria Moghrani, Assia Aboun, and Rachida Maachi. 2016. 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EO.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6693736/v1/11cc95219503875bfe44a23f.png"},{"id":84482098,"identity":"0e6d0b76-7368-4461-b946-965bbd27c9a2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 12:50:53","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":36114,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDPPH test for antioxidant activity of essential oil and BHT (µg/mL).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6693736/v1/90a549886fdaead8d11d4eb9.png"},{"id":84481731,"identity":"180bda48-32b1-4e75-8c24-45010e56b148","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 12:42:54","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":113805,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePercentage mortality of \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e adults as a function of concentration and duration of exposure to EO-MC. Means (± SD, n = 3) marked with a star indicate a significant difference according to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple interval tests at p \u0026lt; 0.05.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6693736/v1/dfa3517e5bd58a67b26695a9.png"},{"id":84482099,"identity":"a6f6ad41-9ae6-41c8-af11-624ff5917330","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 12:50:54","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":75602,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eRepellent index of MC-EO against \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e. Means (± SD, n = 3) marked with a star indicate a significant difference according to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple interval tests at p \u0026lt; 0.05.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6693736/v1/82f099bd0ca23bb8ad021b69.png"},{"id":84481742,"identity":"c42d91ee-ac96-44b7-a5af-2afe1ebb14ae","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 12:42:54","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":310975,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe following is a list of ligands and their interactions with various active sites, as viewed in 2D: \u003cstrong\u003e(A and D): \u003c/strong\u003eButanoate interacts with the active sites of NADPH oxidase and Staphylococcus aureus nucleoside diphosphate kinase. \u003cstrong\u003e(B):\u003c/strong\u003eBisabolone oxide interacts with the active site of acetylcholinesterase. \u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;(C):\u003c/strong\u003e Piperitenone oxide interacts with the active site of beta-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase from \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003e(E):\u003c/strong\u003e Spathulenol interacts with the energetic site of a beta-1,4-endoglucanase from \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003e(F):\u003c/strong\u003e Phenyl-tert-butanol interacts with the active site of sterol 14 alpha demethylase (CYP51) from a pathogenic yeast \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6693736/v1/b95834858c8aa474a5df49d0.png"},{"id":84483042,"identity":"e6e66356-18ce-4876-8698-dbc54f0eb9a9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 12:58:54","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":573046,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe list of ligands and their interactions with different active sites is visualized using a 3D viewer. \u003cstrong\u003eA and D:\u003c/strong\u003e interactions of butanoate with the active sites of NADPH oxidase and nucleoside diphosphate kinase from \u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003eB:\u003c/strong\u003e interactions of bisabolone oxide with the active site of acetylcholinesterase. \u003cstrong\u003eC:\u003c/strong\u003e Interactions of peritenon oxide with the active site of Escherichia coli beta-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase. \u003cstrong\u003eE:\u003c/strong\u003e Interactions of spathulenol with the energetic site of a beta-1,4-endoglucanase from \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003eF:\u003c/strong\u003eInteractions between phenyl-tert-butanol and the active site of sterol 14-alpha demethylase (CYP51) from the pathogenic yeast \u003cem\u003eC. albicans.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6693736/v1/119b201614aca978c19f7d42.png"},{"id":97724676,"identity":"d6367e0f-5a67-4d49-84d3-52504b0a877b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-08 16:13:17","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3048030,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6693736/v1/d3cf707e-e4cd-45f4-ae9d-69be1600af4b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eMolecular characterization, GC-MS analysis, and biological activities of \u003cem\u003eMatricaria chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e var. recutita L. essential oils from Taounate, Morocco: \u003cem\u003eIn vitro\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ein silico\u003c/em\u003e investigations of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal effects\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eRising global population is increasing the demand for cereals, prompting the expansion and intensification of large-scale cereal production. However, this agricultural intensification has led to a surge in cereal pest populations, contributing to approximately one-third of global cereal losses (Murugesan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). \u003cem\u003eCallosobruchus maculatus\u003c/em\u003e is identified as a significant pest that poses a serious threat to stored grains. It is found globally and is particularly damaging to crops such as chickpeas, green beans, black beans, kidney beans, and cowpeas, especially in tropical and subtropical regions (Tuda et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR88\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). Damage caused by seed weevils, including weight loss and reduced nutritional quality, can lead to substantial economic and health-related impacts (Alves et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). In Africa, losses due to this pest can lead to food shortages and malnutrition (Banga et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). The widespread use of synthetic pesticides has contributed to the development of pesticide resistance among numerous insect populations, driving the search for natural alternatives that pose fewer risks to both the environment and human health (Abdelli et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Essential oils demonstrate potential as an eco-friendly solution for managing stored grain pests. Notably, they exhibit higher efficacy even at lower concentrations, minimizing the risk of environmental harm (Ayslane et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Oyedeji and Afolayan \u003cspan citationid=\"CR68\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe rise of microbial pathogen resistance poses a significant threat to global health, as microorganisms are increasingly developing resistance mechanisms against antibiotics, antimicrobials, and even newly developed drugs (Abduljabbar and Aljanaby 2018; Noshad, Hojjati, and Alizadeh \u003cspan citationid=\"CR67\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). According to a simulation model, microbial resistance is projected to cause more than ten million deaths each year by 2050 (Soriano et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR82\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The primary driver behind microbial pathogen resistance is the improper utilization of antibiotics and synthetic antimicrobials. Scientists are exploring novel compounds sourced from various outlets, such as medicinal plants, in the pursuit of infection treatments. (Abirami et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Sharma et al. 2016). In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in using medicinal plants, rooted in tradition, to treat and cure ailments. (Jaadan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). This increase in popularity is mainly attributable to the growing demand for these herbs, especially in emerging markets, where they are more affordable than conventional medicines (El-Assri et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Hilah et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Africa, traditional medicine is used by more than 80% of the population. The continent is rich in plant diversity, with a significant number of species being harnessed for their medicinal properties. Globally, there are approximately 300,000 plant species, of which over 200,000 are found in the African tropics and are valued for their health benefits (Emmanuel and Didier 2012; Komoreng et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMorocco is home to a substantial portion of its population that depends on medicinal plants for self-care and treatment (Bouyahya et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Morocco's unique geographical location, diverse geological formations, varied topography, and favorable climate make it a vital center of plant biodiversity in North Africa (Eddouks, Ajebli, and Hebi 2016). Due to its diverse and varied environment, it exhibits exceptional plant diversity, with approximately 4,800 species (Verlaquea, M\u0026eacute;dailb, and Aboucaya 2001), distributed among 981 genera and 155 families (Fennane and Rejdali 2018). Among these, roughly 800 are indigenous (Dobignard and Chatelain 2010), and 1,600 taxa are classified as scarce (Fennane and Tattou 1999). Moreover, approximately 600 species are employed in herbal medicine (Hmamouchi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). Moroccan flora contributes to over half of the endemic species found in North African nations (Bakha et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGerman chamomile (\u003cem\u003eMatricaria recutita\u003c/em\u003e, syn. \u003cem\u003eMatricaria chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e) is an annual herb belonging to the Asteraceae family (Mehmood et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). It is originally from Europe, Western Asia, North and East Africa (Lim \u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e), now widely distributed worldwide (Singh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR80\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). This plant is among the most widely used medicinal herbs globally, traditionally employed in the treatment of various conditions, including digestive disorders (Menale et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), sleep and hepatic disorders (Zivkovic et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR93\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), also used against pain and infections (Mikou, Rachiq, and Oulidi 2015), colds (G\u0026uuml;zel, Mehmet and Miski \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (L.) contains a variety of bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids, tannins, and coumarins, which contribute to its therapeutic properties. These constituents are responsible for its medicinal effects (H\u0026ouml;ferl et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Studies have shown that German chamomile exhibits anti-inflammatory effects (G\u0026ouml;ger et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), antioxidant (Formisano et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), antifungal (Tolouee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR86\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e), antimicrobial (Romha et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR74\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), antispasmodic, sedative, and analgesic properties, among others (Tolouee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR86\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). As a medicinal plant, German chamomile can be consumed in various forms, such as herbal tea, infusions, or extracts (Mehmood et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), Chamomile essential oil is widely utilized across various industries, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agri-food, and more, due to its versatile properties and benefits (Singh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR80\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). To our knowledge, no prior studies have explored the molecular characterization and biological activities of the essential oil derived from the flowers of \u003cem\u003eMatricaria chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (L.). In this study, we aimed to address this gap by investigating the molecular characteristics, chemical composition, and biological properties of this essential oil. Specifically, we evaluated its antibacterial, antioxidant, and antifungal activities, with a focus on its efficacy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Additionally, we examined its insecticidal potential against \u003cem\u003eCallosobruchus maculatus\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1. Plant material and extraction of essential oil\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (L.) flowers were harvested on the morning of April 1, 2022, during the peak flowering season, in the Tahar Souk region, located approximately 50 km from the town of Taounate, Morocco (geographical coordinates: 35\u0026deg;1'22\" N, 4\u0026deg;8'27\" W, altitude: 592 m). The region experiences a Mediterranean climate, with maximum temperatures soaring up to 40\u0026deg;C. The collected plant material was identified by botanist Amina Bari, a Professor in the Biology Department of the Faculty of Sciences Moulay Driss (FSMD), located in Fez, Morocco, and was assigned the specimen reference number 05-21-TT0015. The flowers of \u003cem\u003eMatricaria chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e were air-dried in the laboratory under controlled conditions, protected from light and humidity, at room temperature. The essential oil of \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (EO-MC) was extracted using a Clevenger apparatus in a 2-liter flask, where 100 grams of dried flowers were combined with 1 liter of distilled water. Following extraction, the EO-MC was dehydrated using anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered to remove impurities, and stored in sealed flasks at 4\u0026deg;C for subsequent use (El-Assri et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; El Moussaoui et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll experimental research and field studies on \u003cem\u003eMatricaria chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (L.) complied with institutional, national, and international guidelines and legislation. The plant material was collected with appropriate authorization, and its identification was verified by a qualified botanist. No endangered or protected species were involved in this study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2. Extraction and PCR of genomic DNA and sequencing\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe protocol described by Jawhari et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) was used for DNA extraction from randomly selected fresh \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e flowers of the same age (Jawhari et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The Rbcl (Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase) region was amplified by PCR with the universal primers rbcL a-f (5'-ATGTCACCACAAACAGAGACTAAAGC3') and rbcL a-r (5'-GTAAAATCAAGTCCACCGCG3') (Parvathy et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Amplification conditions were as follows: 35 cycles at 95\u0026deg;C for 4 min, 94\u0026deg;C for 30 seconds, 55\u0026deg;C for 1 min, 72\u0026deg;C for 1 min. PCR results were visualized by 1.5% agarose gel electrophoresis. Sequences were aligned and processed using ChromasPro sequence analysis software (version 2.1.10.1). They were then analyzed using Blast search to identify sequences homologous to each other in the GenBank databases. They were then deposited in the previous database. A phylogenetic tree was created from the sequences obtained. The \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (L.) isolate was used to form a main group using MEGA 5.0 software. The sequence of \u003cem\u003eArtemisia giraldii\u003c/em\u003e (OK128342) was selected as outgroup. The maximum likelihood (ML) approach was employed to compute phylogenetic connections. To evaluate the support for each branch in the resulting tree, 1000 bootstrap replications were conducted.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3. Oil of M. chamomilla (L.) identified by GC-MS\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eGas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was utilized to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO). Two capillary columns were employed for the analysis: an HP-5MS column with a non-polar stationary phase and a DB-HeavyWAX column with a polar stationary phase. Mass spectrometry was conducted in electron impact (EI) mode. The retention indices of the sample components were compared with those documented in the NIST-MS Search Version 2.0 library to accurately identify the compounds present in the EO (Atki et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Mssillou et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.4. Antioxidant activity in vitro\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe DPPH assay was conducted following the procedure suggested by El Moussaoui et al. (El Moussaoui et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). A 0.004% DPPH solution was prepared, and 100 \u0026micro;l of \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (L.) essential oil extract, diluted to various concentrations in methanol, was mixed with 750 \u0026micro;l of the DPPH solution. The same procedure was applied to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a synthetic antioxidant, also diluted to different concentrations in methanol. After incubating for 30 minutes at room temperature, absorbance at 517 nm was measured using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer (JENWAY 85617). The percentage inhibition of DPPH (PI%) was computed using the following equation:\u003cdiv id=\"Equa\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\u003cdiv format=\"TEX\" class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equa\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\n$$\\:\\mathbf{P}\\mathbf{I}\\left(\\mathbf{\\%}\\right)\\:=\\:100\\times\\:(\\mathbf{A}0\\:-\\:\\mathbf{A}/\\mathbf{A}0)\\:\\:$$\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003ePI\u003c/b\u003e stands for the percentage of inhibition. \u003cb\u003eA0\u003c/b\u003e indicates the absorbance of the negative control (DPPH without the sample), while \u003cb\u003eA\u003c/b\u003e represents the absorbance of the sample with DPPH.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.5. The antibacterial activity of EO-MC\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe antibacterial effects of EOMC were evaluated against four bacterial strains: \u003cem\u003eProteus mirabilis\u003c/em\u003e ATCC29906, \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e K12, \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e CIP A22, and \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e ATCC6633. These strains were obtained from the CHU Hassan II in Fez. The zone of inhibition was determined using the disk diffusion technique. Bacterial strains were introduced onto Petri dishes filled with Mueller-Hinton agar at a concentration of 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e to 10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/mL (0.5 McFarland). Following this, 6 mm-diameter filter paper discs were soaked with 20 \u0026micro;L of EOMC, and a positive control was conducted using streptomycin antibiotic (25 \u0026micro;g/disc). The plates were incubated for 24 hours at 37\u0026deg;C. After incubation, the diameter of growth inhibition zones was assessed. The results, expressed in millimeters, were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of EOMC (El Barnossi, Moussaid, and Housseini 2020; El-Assri et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Lafraxo, Barnossi, et al. 2022).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.6. Antifungal activity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of OE-MC against four fungal species: \u003cem\u003eCandida albicans\u003c/em\u003e ATCC, \u003cem\u003eAspergillus flavus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eFusarium oxysporum\u003c/em\u003e MTCC9913, and \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e MTCC282. To perform the test, fungi were inoculated onto Petri dishes containing malt agar extract medium. Then, 6 mm Whatman paper discs were soaked with 20\u0026micro;L of OE-MC. The plates were incubated for 7 days at 30\u0026deg;C for \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA. flavus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eF. oxysporum\u003c/em\u003e, while \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e was incubated at 37\u0026deg;C for 24\u0026ndash;48 hours. Positive controls were included using the antibiotic Fluconazole (15mg/mL). After the incubation, the inhibition diameter (in mm) was measured for \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e, while growth in mm was assessed for both the negative and positive tests. This data was then used to calculate the percentage of inhibition for strains of filamentous fungi using the following formula (Moussaid et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e):\u003cdiv id=\"Equb\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\u003cdiv format=\"TEX\" class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equb\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\n$$\\:\\varvec{\\%}\\:\\varvec{I}\\varvec{n}\\varvec{h}\\varvec{i}\\varvec{b}\\varvec{i}\\varvec{t}\\varvec{i}\\varvec{o}\\varvec{n}=\\frac{\\mathbf{N}\\mathbf{e}\\mathbf{g}\\mathbf{a}\\mathbf{t}\\mathbf{i}\\mathbf{v}\\mathbf{e}\\:\\mathbf{t}\\mathbf{e}\\mathbf{s}\\mathbf{t}-\\mathbf{P}\\mathbf{o}\\mathbf{s}\\mathbf{i}\\mathbf{t}\\mathbf{i}\\mathbf{v}\\mathbf{e}\\:\\mathbf{t}\\mathbf{e}\\mathbf{s}\\mathbf{t}}{\\mathbf{N}\\mathbf{e}\\mathbf{g}\\mathbf{a}\\mathbf{t}\\mathbf{i}\\mathbf{v}\\mathbf{e}\\:\\mathbf{t}\\mathbf{e}\\mathbf{s}\\mathbf{t}}\\times\\:100$$\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.7. Measurement of minimum inhibitory concentration\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe MICs of OE-MC against the four fungal and four bacterial strains were determined using the micro-dilution method, following the protocol described by Sarker \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e (Sarker, Nahar, and Kumarasamy 2007). Briefly, a sterile 96-well microplate was employed. For bacterial and fungal strains, 50 \u0026micro;l of Mueller-Hinton (M-H) medium and malt extract (ME), respectively, were added to each well. EO-MC was diluted at a ratio of 1/10 (v/v) in 10% DMSO, and 100 \u0026micro;l of this solution was dispensed into the first column of the microplate. Subsequently, microbial strains (30 \u0026micro;l) were added following a 1:2 dilution series up to column 11. Plates were placed in incubators at 37\u0026deg;C or 30\u0026deg;C for 24 h, 48 h or 7 days, respectively for bacteria, \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e and filamentous fungi. Following the incubation period, 20 \u0026micro;l of a 0.2% solution of 2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazolium-chloride was added to each well to facilitate the visualization of microbial growth (El Abdali et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The MIC was defined as the minimum concentration that did not lead to red coloration, and the outcomes were expressed in mg/ml.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.8. Insecticidal action against C. maculatus\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.8.1. Fumigation test\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe fumigation experiment evaluated the efficacy of essential oil vapors against \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e using sealed 1L containers. Whatman No. 1 paper squares (3 x 3 cm) were saturated with varying concentrations of essential oil (4\u0026ndash;20 \u0026micro;l/L of air) and attached to the inner surface of the container lids to prevent direct contact with the insects. Ten pairs of \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e, aged 0\u0026ndash;48 hours, were introduced into each container. The experiment included repeated treatments and an untreated control group. Mortality rates were recorded daily for five days under controlled environmental conditions (temperature 27\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1\u0026deg;C, relative humidity 70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5%, and a 14:10 light/dark photoperiod). The process continued until complete mortality of bruchid insects was observed in all treated groups (Baghouz et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal adult mortality was calculated using Abbott\u0026rsquo;s formula (Abbott \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1925\u003c/span\u003e):\u003cdiv id=\"Equc\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\u003cdiv format=\"TEX\" class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equc\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\n$$\\:\\mathbf{P}\\mathbf{v}=\\frac{\\varvec{P}\\varvec{a}-\\varvec{P}\\varvec{i}}{100-\\varvec{P}\\varvec{i}}\\:\\:\\times\\:100$$\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhere: \u003cb\u003ePc\u003c/b\u003e: percentage mortality, \u003cb\u003ePi\u003c/b\u003e: mortality observed in the negative control and \u003cb\u003ePa\u003c/b\u003e: mortality observed in the test.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.8.2. Repellent effect of EO-MR\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe repellency of EO-MC against adults \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e was evaluated using the preferential zone methodology on filter paper, following the method described by (McDonald, Guy, and Speirs 1970). Half-discs of Whatman N\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003e1 paper (8 cm) were treated with different doses of EO-MC (4\u0026ndash;20 \u0026micro;l/0.5 ml acetone) or with pure acetone as a control. After allowing the treated halves to dry, they were reassembled into full discs, and five pairs of adult insects were placed at the center. Repellency was assessed 30 minutes later based on the distribution of the insects, using the formula by McDonald et al. (McDonald, Guy, and Speirs 1970):\u003cdiv id=\"Equd\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equd\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRepellency percentage (RP) is determined by comparing the number of \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e adults found on the acetone-treated (control) side (N) to those on the essential oil-treated side (NT).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.9. Molecular Docking\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe study explored the effects of OE-MC on insecticidal, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities through molecular docking techniques.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.9.1. Preparation of the ligand\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWe retrieved all GC/MS-identified molecules of EOMC from the PubChem database in SDF format. Subsequently, Schr\u0026ouml;dinger\u0026apos;s Maestro 11.5 software was used to prepare the molecular structures. The OPLS3 force field was applied, and the LigPrep tool was employed to generate 32 stereoisomers for each ligand, considering ionization states at pH 7.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.0 (Lafraxo, Moussaoui, et al. 2022).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.9.2. Protein preparation\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eProteins targeting NADPH oxidase (2CDU.pdb) (Herrera-calderon et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), \u0026beta;-ketoacyl synthase from \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e K12 (PDB ID: 1FJ4), nucleoside diphosphate kinase from \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e (PDB ID: 3Q8U), \u0026beta;-1,4 endoglucanase from \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e (PDB ID: 5I77), sterol 14-alpha demethylase (CYP51) from \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e (PDB ID: 5FSA) (Tourabi et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), and the crystal structure of an insecticide-resistant acetylcholinesterase (PDB ID: 6ARY) were obtained from the RCSB protein database (pdb) (Venugopala et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). These proteins were then prepared according to the standard protocol by removing water molecules and all corresponding co-crystallized ligands while adding Gasteiger fillers.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe prepared proteins were docked to the main compound of the plant under study using Autodock software. Finally, all the interactions produced were visualized using Discovery Studio software (Amrati et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.10. Statistical Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean standard deviation values were acquired using GraphPad Prism 8.0.1. Statistical analysis was conducted employing ANOVA, followed by Tukey\u0026apos;s test. Significance was determined by a p-value of less than 0.05.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results and discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1. Molecular identification of M. chamomilla (L.)\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003ePCR amplification of the \u003cem\u003erbcL\u003c/em\u003e gene yielded products approximately 600 bp in size. Sample A (\u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (L.)) demonstrated strong amplification of the \u003cem\u003erbcL\u003c/em\u003e primer. BLAST analysis, conducted using the NCBI GenBank, revealed that sequence A exhibited 99.29% identity with \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e var. \u003cem\u003erecutita\u003c/em\u003e. The sequence was subsequently deposited in the GenBank database under the accession number OR838665 and identified as \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e var. \u003cem\u003erecutita\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUsing the Neighbor-Joining (NJ) method for phylogenetic analysis, the \u003cem\u003erbcL\u003c/em\u003e gene was shown to be a reliable tool for species identification and classification. Genetic similarities among species were utilized to construct phylogenetic trees, facilitating a deeper understanding of evolutionary relationships (Sundari et al. 2019). In this study, the analyzed plant sample clustered within a single clade of \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e), indicating a very close genetic relationship.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2. Volatile profile of essential oil\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe yield of MCEO, obtained by Clevenger, was approximately 0.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.26% (w/w), with the identification of 26 chemical compounds in the EO-MC representing 99.96% of the overall EO (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e and Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Analysis via GC/MS indicated that sesquiterpenes comprised the predominant chemical class in EO-MC, accounting for 56.57%, followed by monoterpenes at 30.15%. The main components were germacrene (19.46%), followed by alpha-curcumene (19.00%) and caprylic acid (15.81%). It's worth mentioning that the yield rate achieved in this research is inferior to that reported in earlier studies by Neelav \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., and Mahdavi \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., who documented rates of 1.27% and 0.65%, respectively (Mahdavi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Sarma et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). However, it exceeds the rate reported by Hajjaj \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, who documented a rate of 0.4% (Hajjaj et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). The findings align with previous studies, indicating that the EO-MC from Romania is predominantly comprised of sesquiterpenes (91.65%), with oxyde de bisabolol A (70.2%) being the most abundant component (Berechet et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Similarly, Neelav \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e (2023) demonstrated that \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e in India has a predominance of sesquiterpenes, representing 92.75% of the identified compounds (Sarma et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Research carried out in Brazil by Demarque \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2012) revealed that OE-MC was composed by 18 elements, of which alpha-bisabolol oxide B (26.08%), beta-farnesene (16.35%) and bisabolol oxide A (14.7%) are the main constituents (Demarque et al. 2012). In contrast, Fadel \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2020) discovered 16 compounds, constituting 96.0% of the essential oil. The principal constituents found were alpha-Bisabolol oxide A (45.5%), alpha-bisabolol oxide B (14.7%), cis-beta-farnesene (5.7%), alpha- bisabolone oxide A (12.9%) and cis-beta-farnesene (5.7%) (Hanem et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Further research by Stanojevic et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR83\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) revealed the presence of 52 different compounds in OE-MC, with (E)-β-farnesene (29.8%) being the main constituent, followed by α-farnesene (9.3%) and alpha-bisa- bolol oxide A (7%) (Stanojevic et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR83\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). The content and chemical composition of plant essences can fluctuate due to a variety of environmental factors. These include the specific part of the plant used, the plant's stage of development, its maturity, the time of harvest and even the plant's genetic heritage (Tourabi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR87\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhytochemical composition of \u003cem\u003eM. chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e identified by GC/MS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeak\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRetention time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompound\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRetention index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChemical formula\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTerpene class\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArea (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.771\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ep-Menthane\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e979\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e20\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.834\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEucalyptol\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e18\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.475\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrenyl isobutyrate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1054\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e9\u003c/sub\u003eH1\u003csub\u003e6\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.309\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGermacrene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1485\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.684\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhenyl-tert-butanol\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1158\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e14\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.099\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLimonen-10-ol\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1289\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e16\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.909\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eButanoate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1141\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e18\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.346\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCaprinic acid\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1201\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e20\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.81\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.646\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eβ-Farnesene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1442\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.730\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrenyl isobutyrate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1054\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e9\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e16\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.315\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eβ-Himachalene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.384\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ealpha-Curcumene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1515\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.271\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrenyl cyclopentanone\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1227\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e16\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.783\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePiperitenone oxide\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1368\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e14\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.921\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ecurcumene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1480\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e22\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.004\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpathulenol\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1578\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.456\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGlobulol\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1590\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e26\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.481\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePinene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1099\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e10\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e16\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.052\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eα-Santalene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1417\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.594\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eα-Patchoulene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1456\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.451\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBisabolene\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1515\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.334\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEicosane\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e20\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e42\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.119\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMethyl linoleate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2085\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e19\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e34\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.942\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTetradecanal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1612\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e14\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e28\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45.220\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTriacontane\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e30\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e62\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMTT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.230\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBisabolone oxide\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1685\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC\u003csub\u003e15\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e24\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMNQ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTerpene class\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMonoterpenes (MNT)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSesquiterpenes (MNQ)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiterpenes (MND)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTriterpenes (MTT)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOther (O)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99.96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3. Scavenging of the Free Radical DPPH\u003csup\u003e\u0026bull;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe DPPH assay is a widely used method for evaluating the antioxidant activity of substances in laboratory settings. The test is based on the transfer of hydrogen (H) atoms or electrons (E) from antioxidant compounds to DPPH radicals dissolved in a solution. This interaction causes the DPPH radicals to change color from purple to yellow, signifying the formation of a stable diamagnetic molecule as a result of their reaction with reducing substances (Nchez \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). The alteration in color is quantified spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 517 nm (Magalhaes et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). This method is highly effective and useful for assessing antioxidant activity. Lower IC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e values indicate a higher antioxidant capacity of the sample (Beniaich et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Moussaoui et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). The antioxidant capacity of EO-MC was assessed using the DPPH test. The results obtained are summarized in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. EO-MC demonstrated PDPH inhibition with an IC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e value of approximately 456.57 \u0026micro;g/mL. For BHT, a standard antioxidant, the IC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e value was 17.83 \u0026micro;g/mL (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAntibacterial activity (mm) and MIC in (\u0026micro;g/mL) of EO-MC against the bacterial strains tested.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEssential oil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStreptomycin\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e ATCC29213\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiameter of inhibition (mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.5 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.36 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMIC (\u0026micro;g/mL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e ATCC6633\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiameter of inhibition (mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.58 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.2 \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMIC (\u0026micro;g/mL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e CIP A22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiameter of inhibition (mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.5 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.36 \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMIC (\u0026micro;g/mL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.125\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0 \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP. mirabilis\u003c/em\u003e ATCC 29906\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiameter of inhibition (mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.03 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.73\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.25 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMIC (\u0026micro;g/mL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0 \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.125\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0 \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003eMean values (\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD, n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3) labeled with distinct letters within the same row denote a significant contrast (ANOVA II, Tukey tests at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA literature review highlighted several studies on the antioxidant activity of EO-MC. One study conducted in Bosnia-Herzegovina revealed that essential oils derived from this species exhibit an IC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e concentration of 2.07 mg/mL (Stanojevic et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR83\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Another study, conducted in northern Iran, reported an IC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e concentration of 5.63 mg/mL for EO-MC, further supporting its antioxidant properties (Ayoughi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). These findings align with those reported by Chouia et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) and Qasem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR71\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e), who documented IC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e values of 416.57 \u0026micro;g/mL and 533.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.05 \u0026micro;g/mL, respectively, further corroborating the antioxidant potential of EO-MC (Chouia et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Qasem et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR71\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Conversely, these values are lower than those reported by Mahdavi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) and Zeynep Demirci et al. (2018), who recorded IC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e values of 793.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.45 \u0026micro;g/mL and 2.20 mg/mL, respectively. This variability may reflect differences in experimental conditions, plant origin, or extraction methods (Mahdavi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Zeynep, Demirci, and Demirci 2018). Furthermore, our results surpass those published by Sarma et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) and Abdoul-latif et al. (2011), who recorded IC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e values of 21.95 and 4.18 \u0026micro;g/mL, respectively. (Abdoul-latif et al. 2011; Sarma et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4. Bacterial activity of EO-MC\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe EO-MC compound showed considerable anti-bacterial activity versus all four types of bacteria tested, in particular Gram-negative bacteria such as \u003cem\u003eProteus mirabilis\u003c/em\u003e ATCC29906, \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e K12 and \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e CIP A22 and Gram-positive bacteria such as \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e ATCC6633. The results of the disk diffusion method (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) indicate that EO-MC blocked the growth of all examined species. Among the bacterial strains tested, the largest diameter of inhibition was found for \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (21.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.5 mm), followed by \u003cem\u003eP. mirabilis\u003c/em\u003e (15.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.03 mm) and \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e (12.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.5 mm). The smallest inhibition diameter was found for \u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e (11.667\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.577 mm). These findings suggest that all the bacteria tested showed sensitivity to EO-MC. MIC results for EO-MC indicate that the lowest value was observed for \u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e (2.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02 \u0026micro;g/mL), while the highest value was observed for \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (20.0 \u0026micro;g/mL). Essential oils of \u003cem\u003eM. recutita\u003c/em\u003e, collected in Algeria, showed significant efficacy versus \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eP. aeruginosa\u003c/em\u003e bacteria, with zones of inhibition varying from 10.67 mm to 18.33 mm (Chouia et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). In a Moroccan study by El-Assri et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), essential oil derived from \u003cem\u003eM. recutita (L.)\u003c/em\u003e was shown to have considerable antibacterial efficacy versus \u003cem\u003eB. subtilis\u003c/em\u003e, with a 15.2 mm diameter of inhibition and a MIC of 6.25 \u0026micro;L/mL, followed by \u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e (14.13 mm) and an MIC of 8.33 \u0026micro;L/mL, then \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (13.28 mm) and an MIC of 8.33 \u0026micro;L/mL, and finally \u003cem\u003eP. aeruginosa\u003c/em\u003e (13.07 mm) and an MIC of 8.33 \u0026micro;L/mL (El-Assri et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). In Iran, Kazemi \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e (2015) demonstrated that EO-MC possessed significant anti-bacterial activity versus \u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eB. subtilis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eP. aeruginosa\u003c/em\u003e, with zones of inhibition reaching up to 32 mm (Kazemi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Conversely, oil extracted from \u003cem\u003eM. recutita\u003c/em\u003e from the Horn of Africa (Djibouti) showed very encouraging antibacterial effects against eleven bacterial strains, with inhibition diameters of between 14 mm and 30 mm, while MICs vary from 1 to 4 \u0026micro;g/mL (Abdoul-latif et al. 2011). In addition, Soković et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR81\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) demonstrated that the MIC of \u003cem\u003eM. recutita\u003c/em\u003e essential oil was 7 \u0026micro;g/mL (B. subtilis), 8 \u0026micro;g/mL (\u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e) and 10 \u0026micro;g/mL \u003cem\u003e(E. coli\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eP. aeruginosa\u003c/em\u003e). (Soković et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR81\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Other publications have shown that EO-MC was capable of destroying \u003cem\u003eS.aureus\u003c/em\u003e, followed by \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSalmonella enterica\u003c/em\u003e, with diameter of inhibition of 40, 31 and 25 mm, resp (Shakya et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR78\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Mahdavi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) demonstrated that \u003cem\u003eM. recutita\u003c/em\u003e essential oil was effective against \u003cem\u003eP. aeruginosa\u003c/em\u003e ATCC27853 (108.77%), \u003cem\u003eEnterococcus faecalis\u003c/em\u003e ATCC 14506 (106.7%), \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e ATCC (99.66%) and \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e ATCC 13883 (75.04%) (Mahdavi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Numerous previous studies have shown that positive Gram bacteria are more susceptible than negative Gram bacteria (Barbosa et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Kazemi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). However, this study is contrary to the previous one, as Gram-negative bacteria, such as \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e, were found to be more sensitive to EO-MC.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5. Antifungal activity of EO-MC\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe percentages of inhibition and MIC values of EO-MC versus the 4 fungal strains tested are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. The findings show that EO-MC exerts significant antifungal activity, with higher percentages of inhibition against \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e (31.19%) than against \u003cem\u003eA. flavus\u003c/em\u003e (17%). MIC values for EO-MC varied between 0.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0 to 0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0 \u0026micro;g/ml. The results of this investigation align with previous scientific research demonstrating the antifungal efficacy of OE-MC versus various fungal strains. Al-snafi (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), G\u0026ouml;ger et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), Roby et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), and Tolouee et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR86\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) have all documented similar findings in their respective studies (Al-snafi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; G\u0026ouml;ger et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Roby et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Tolouee et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR86\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). The results obtained concerning the antifungal activity of EOMCs are consistent with results published in 2012 in Egypt by Roby et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) (Roby et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), who showed antifungal activity of EOMCs against \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e ATCC10231 a 14 mm inhibition diameter and a MIC of 10 \u0026micro;g/mL, while the inhibition diameter of \u003cem\u003eA. flavus\u003c/em\u003e ATCC 16875 was 18 mm and the MIC 12.5 \u0026micro;g/mL. Abdoul-latif et al (2011) conducted a study in Djibouti, which demonstrated notable antifungal effects versus \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e ATCC10231, with a 20 mm zone of inhibition and a MIC of 1 \u0026micro;g/mL. In addition, they observed activity against \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e, with an inhibition zone of 17 mm and a MIC of 2 \u0026micro;g/Ml (Abdoul-latif et al. 2011). In parallel, results obtained in another study revealed significant antifungal efficacy, notably against \u003cem\u003eA. flavus\u003c/em\u003e AFl375, \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e FC24771, \u003cem\u003eF. culmorum\u003c/em\u003e CBS 128537 with percentage inhibition of 10.66\u0026ndash;52.33%, 89.66\u0026ndash;100%, 91-86.66%, respectively (EL-Hefny et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, Prabodh Satyal et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR77\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) indicated that the MIC of EOMC against \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e ATCC10231 was 313 \u0026micro;g/mL, and for \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e ATCC 16888, it was 625 \u0026micro;g/mL. (Satyal, Shrestha, and Setzer 2015).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAntifungal activity (% inhibition) and MIC (mg/mL) of EO-MC against fungal strains tested.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEssential oil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFluconazole\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e ATCC10231\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiameter of inhibition (mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.58 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.15 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003eb\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMIC (mg/mL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0125\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003eb\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e MTCC282\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of inhibition (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.53 \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMIC (mg/mL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0062\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003eb\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA. flavus\u003c/em\u003e MTCC9606\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of inhibition (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.53 \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMIC (mg/mL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0125\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00b\u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eF. oxysporum\u003c/em\u003e MTCC9913\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of inhibition (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.7 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.76 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003eb\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMIC (mg/mL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003ea\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0062\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 \u003csup\u003e\u003cb\u003eb\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003eMean values (\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD, n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3) labeled with distinct letters within the same row denote a significant contrast (ANOVA II, Tukey tests at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec23\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.6. Insecticide activity test\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec24\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.6.1. Fumigation test\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of the study, illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e and Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, show a direct correlation between the applied dose, the duration of exposure, and the mortality of adult \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus.\u003c/em\u003e Statistical testing revealed a significant correlation between \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e adult mortality and the dose applied, as well as the duration of exposure (F\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;271.73; df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4, 40; P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001; F\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;129.76; df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3, 40; P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0001). After a 72-hour exposure period, EO-MC showed increased toxicity at higher concentrations of 20 and 16 \u0026micro;L/L of air. In fact, EO-MC caused 100% absolute mortality in insects at concentrations of 16 \u0026micro;L/L and above after 72 hours' exposure (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). The median lethal concentration (LC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e) of EO-MC was 20.64 and 1.86 \u0026micro;L/L of air after 24 and 72 hours, respectively. These findings suggest that EO-MC compounds are relatively more toxic to \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e adults. The findings of this study align closely with those reported by Tandorost \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2012), El-Khyat et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e), and Arannilewa et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e), demonstrating a positive relationship between mortality rates and the duration and dosage of exposure (Arannilewa, Ekrakene, and Akinneye \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; El-Khyat et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Tandorost and Karimpour 2012). Similarly, the results are consistent with previous research conducted by Abouellata et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), indicating that MC essential oil exhibits strong insecticidal activity against \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e adults, with a lethal concentration (LC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.058 mg/L) observed after 24 hours of fumigation (Abouellata et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, OE-MC displayed potent insecticidal effects against \u003cem\u003eE. cautella\u003c/em\u003e adults at concentrations of 62.5, 125, and 250 mg/L of air over a 72-hour exposure period. Additionally, Mousavi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) found that chamomile essential oil was more efficacious against this pest compared to other essential oils (Mousavi, Ghosta, and Maroofpour \u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Furthermore, several studies have highlighted the effectiveness of essential oils rich in sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes against insect pests due to their potent volatile nature (Karab\u0026ouml;rkl\u0026uuml;, Ayvaz, and Semih Yilmaz 2011; Tourabi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR87\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Tunc et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR89\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eLC\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e and \u0026chi;2 of EO-MC against\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e adults.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e3.6.2. Repellency test\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec25\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFor generations, aromatic plants have served as highly efficient natural insect repellents in traditional herbal medicine (Pavela \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Several studies have evaluated the repellent properties of chamomile species against agricultural pests (Mousavi and Maroof 2020). This study assessed the repellent potential of OE-MC versus \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e insects using the surface preference technique on filter paper. The results presented in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e indicate that the repellent effect of OE-MC correlates with dosage. Specifically, at the smallest concentration examined (4 \u0026micro;L/cm2), a repellent effect of 30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.54% was observed. In contrast, at the highest concentration (20 \u0026micro;L/cm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e), a repellent effect of 55\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;19.14% was observed against \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e adults. Based on a concentration of 12 \u0026micro;L/cm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e, OE-MC was found to have an average repellency of 55%, using the calculation method of McDonald et al (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1970\u003c/span\u003e) (McDonald, Guy, and Speirs 1970). The findings of this study accord with those of Allali et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e), who also observed an average repellent activity (50.83%) of OE-MC against \u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e adults at a concentration of 20 \u0026micro;L/cm\u0026sup2; (Allali et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Similarly, El-Khyat et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) showed that EO-MC presented moderate repellent activity (49.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.33%) at the concentration of 62.5 mg/L of air against \u003cem\u003eE. cautella\u003c/em\u003e (El-Khyat et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). These data indicate that EO-MC could be used as a natural repellent against harmful agricultural insects. Essential oils comprise intricate blends of volatile organic compounds, encompassing monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenes. These constituents exhibit insecticidal attributes, particularly by perturbing the hormonal equilibrium of insects (Ahn et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e; Rattan and Summt 2010).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec26\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e3.7. Molecular Docking\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDuring the assessment of antioxidant activity, three molecules namely butanoate, bisabolone oxide, and piperitenone oxide were found to be the most potent ones targeting the NAD(P)H oxidase active site. Butanoate was found to have the highest value of -5.313 kcal/mol, followed by bisabolone oxide with a value of -5.301 kcal/mol and piperitenone oxide with a value of -4.997 kcal/mol (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, butanoate showed interactions with two residues, TYR 159 and ILE 160, in the NAD(P)H oxidase active site, forming two H-bonds (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eA and \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eA).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDocking results of ligand in the active sites.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGlide Gscore (kcal/mol)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAntioxidant Activity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInsecticide-resistant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAntibacterial Activity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAntifungal Activity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2CDU\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6ARY\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1FJ4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3Q8U\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5FSA\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5I77\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026alpha;-Curcumene\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.029\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.197\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.722\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.278\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.841\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-2.813\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026beta;-Bisabolene\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.314\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.411\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.056\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.896\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-2.776\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026beta;-Himachalene\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.82\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.415\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.808\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.112\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.854\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.749\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBisabolone oxide\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.301\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.988\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.216\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.252\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.079\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.87\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eButanoate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.313\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.408\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.846\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-7.903\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.312\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.411\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEucalyptol\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.312\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.665\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.703\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.275\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.739\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.451\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGermacrene\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.481\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.53\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.382\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.72\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.243\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGlobulol\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.762\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.916\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.493\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.279\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.909\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.506\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLimonen-10-ol\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.785\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.175\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.694\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.223\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.672\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.039\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhenyl-tert-butanol\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.639\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.843\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.595\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.384\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.806\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePiperitenone oxide\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.997\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.052\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-7.098\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.276\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.606\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.629\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ep-Menthane\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.173\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.874\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.81\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.82\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.753\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpathulenol\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.806\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.978\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.981\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.126\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-7.015\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.86\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a common mechanism of action for many insecticides. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that degrades the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the nervous system. In insects, acetylcholine plays a crucial role in transmitting nerve impulses at synapses. Inhibiting acetylcholinesterase leads to an accumulation of acetylcholine, disrupting normal nerve function, and ultimately causing the insect\u0026apos;s death (Fulton and Key 2001; Mirjana B.Colovic et al. 2013). In our \u003cem\u003ein silico\u003c/em\u003e study, bisabolone oxide, Globulol and Prenyl cyclopentanone exhibited the greatest inhibitory impact on acetylcholinesterase, Glide Gscore values for these compounds were \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;6.988, -6.916 and \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;6.626 kcal/mol respectively (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). In addition, bisabolone oxide established a unique H-bond with residue TYR 282 in the acetylcholinesterase active site, as illustrated in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eB and \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eB.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn addition, the antibacterial effectiveness of a substance was tested against \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e K12 and \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e ATCC6633 bacteria. The results showed that EO-MC had glide Gscores of -7.098, -6.545, and \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;6.510 kcal/mol against \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e \u0026beta;-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase, while butanoate, bisabolone oxide, and p-menthane were most effective against \u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e nucleoside diphosphate kinase, with glide Gscores of -7.903, -5.252, and \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;4.490 kcal/mol, respectively (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Furthermore, Figs. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eC and \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eC show that piperitenone oxide formed two H-bonds with residues THR 300 and THR 302 in the active site of \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e beta-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase. Meanwhile, Butanoate formed a single hydrogen bond with residue HIE 52 and a salt bridge with residue MG 159 in the active site of \u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e nucleoside diphosphate kinase, as shown in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eD and \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eD. In the evaluation of antifungal activity against \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e, certain molecules were identified as active in the active site of sterol 14-alpha demethylase (CYP51) of the pathogenic yeast \u003cem\u003eC. albicans\u003c/em\u003e. Spathulenol, globulol, and beta-himachalene were found to be active with glide Gscores of -7.015, -6.909, and \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;6.854 kcal/mol, respectively (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). In the active site of a beta-1,4-endoglucanase from \u003cem\u003eA niger\u003c/em\u003e, researchers identified phenyl-tert-butanol, spathulenol, and piperitenone oxide as the most effective molecules. These molecules had glide gscore values of -5.060, -4.860, and \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;4.629 kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, among these three, phenyl-tert-butanol established a single hydrogen bond with residue TYR 227 in the same active site (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eF and \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eF).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe research findings reveal that EO-MC, extracted from Taounate chamomile, exhibits a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal properties. Rich in bioactive compounds such as sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes, EO-MC is known for its ability to shield cells from oxidative stress. Additionally, it has demonstrated significant antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal effects against a variety of microbes and insects, including antibiotic-resistant strains and the cowpea bruchid (\u003cem\u003eC. maculatus\u003c/em\u003e). These findings highlight the potential of EO-MC as a therapeutic and preventive agent for combating oxidative damage, bacterial and fungal infections, and insect infestations.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contribution:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConceptualization, E.E., and A.B., methodology, E.E., A.H., Y.E., A.B., software, A.H., R.B., and M.C.; validation, E.E., A.B.; formal analysis, E.E., Y.A., and A.B.; investigation, A.M., and N.R.; resources, A.B., E.E.; data curation, A.H., and A.L.,; writing\u0026mdash;original draft preparation, E.E., A.H., and Y.E.; writing\u0026mdash;review and editing, A.El., M.B., and N.E.; visualization, A.B., and A.S.A.; supervision, A.B.; funding acquisition, A.S.A. \u0026nbsp;Project administration, A.B., All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Researchers Supporting project number (RSP2025R119), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthors are thankful to the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP2025R119), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability Statement\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe original contributions presented in the study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflicts of Interest\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbbott, WS. 1925. 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Frontiers in Pharmacology 11: 1020.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Matricaria. chamomilla L., Morocco, antioxidant activity, molecular characterization, essential oil, bioresource valorization","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6693736/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6693736/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eChamomile (\u003cem\u003eMatricaria chamomilla\u003c/em\u003e L.), a widely recognized medicinal plant, was investigated for its chemical composition, functional properties, and molecular characterization, focusing on samples cultivated in the Taounate region of Morocco. Essential oil (EO) was extracted using a Clevenger apparatus, and GC/MS analysis identified 26 compounds, with germacrene (19.46%), α-curcumene (19.00%), and caprinic acid (15.81%) as the major components. The EO exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with an IC₅₀ of 456.57 \u0026micro;g/mL against the DPPH radical. It demonstrated strong antibacterial effects, particularly against E. coli, with an inhibition zone of 21.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.50 mm and a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 20.00 \u0026micro;g/mL. Antifungal activity was also notable, inhibiting Aspergillus niger by 31.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 mm. In fumigation tests, the EO caused 100% insect mortality at 16 \u0026micro;L/L after 72 hours, with an LC₅₀ of 1.86 \u0026micro;L/L of air, and showed a 55% repellency rate at 12 \u0026micro;L/cm\u0026sup2;. DNA sequencing confirmed a 99.22% similarity with Matricaria chamomilla var. recutita (L.). These results highlight the EO's multifaceted biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal properties, underscoring its potential for applications in healthcare, agriculture, and food production.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Molecular characterization, GC-MS analysis, and biological activities of Matricaria chamomilla var. recutita L. essential oils from Taounate, Morocco: In vitro and in silico investigations of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and insecticidal effects","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-12 12:42:49","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6693736/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-07-22T11:47:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-15T21:43:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"18636656575242475068089438921152902563","date":"2025-07-10T13:45:55+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-06-21T11:23:19+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"110079208612041851253717183811071497945","date":"2025-06-20T21:36:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-06-20T21:35:19+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"214401815547673683399636319987290032367","date":"2025-06-20T21:27:56+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-06-20T07:15:23+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"141716903036011238619528305322829456852","date":"2025-06-11T05:52:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"129385321860975100166369685805341917116","date":"2025-06-11T05:03:31+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-10T21:16:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-10T21:11:50+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-03T05:59:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-05-31T03:58:40+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-05-18T21:41:41+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"066c4a2c-a3c8-435f-adf1-8540b5cc2646","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 12th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":49948515,"name":"Biological sciences/Biochemistry"},{"id":49948516,"name":"Biological sciences/Drug discovery"},{"id":49948517,"name":"Biological sciences/Microbiology"},{"id":49948518,"name":"Biological sciences/Physiology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-08T16:10:24+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6693736","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-27573-x","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-12-05 15:57:22","publishedOnDateReadable":"December 5th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-12 12:42:49","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-27573-x","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-27573-x","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6693736","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6693736","identity":"rs-6693736","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}