Phytochemical Profiling and Antioxidant Potential of Phlomoides rotata Essential Oils: Insights into Bioactive Constituents

Phytochemical Profiling and Antioxidant Potential of Phlomoides rotata Essential Oils: Insights into Bioactive Constituents | 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 Phytochemical Profiling and Antioxidant Potential of Phlomoides rotata Essential Oils: Insights into Bioactive Constituents Zheng Pan, Chen Xie, Jie Luo, Wanting Zhong, Xiaotong Yan, Yongmei Su, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7155967/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 11 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The antioxidant properties and characteristic metabolites of Phlomoides rotata (P. rotata) essential oils (EOs) remain largely unexplored. To address this gap, we combined metabolomic profiling with in vitro antioxidant assays to systematically characterize EOs from P. rotata. Cryoprecipitation of EOs yielded two fractions: crystals (Crs) and crystal-free EOs (CEs). GC-MS identified 125 components (84.41-94.86%), including 94 novel reports in P. rotata. Dominant constituents were long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs, 42.33-75.73%) and their esters (3.44-15.21%), notably palmitic acid (14.49-63.13%), myristic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and methyl palmitate. Eleven norisoprenoids, including trans-β-damascenone, were discovered—a fivefold increase from previously reported diversity—with their biosynthetic pathways elucidated. Eleven chemical markers were established, encompassing geraniol, linalool, trans-β-damascenone, hexahydrofarnesyl acetone, palmitic acid, α-terpineol, myristic acid, phytol, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and methyl palmitate. Palmitic acid, myristic acid, methyl palmitate, and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone showed negligible or pro-oxidative activity. Linoleic acid, oleic acid, trans-β-damascenone, and phytol exhibited concentration-dependent antioxidant effects. Phytol demonstrated exceptional potency, surpassing quercetin in cellular antioxidant activity at 80 μmol/L. CEs exhibited significantly stronger antioxidant capacity in both DPPH and ABTS assays compared to EOs and Crs. Palmitic acid depletion in CEs was identified as a critical factor driving enhanced antioxidant performance. This study not only establishes P. rotata EOs as a rich source of phytol-based antioxidants but also deciphers the dual roles of LCFAs, providing a foundation for developing natural antioxidants. Biological sciences/Biochemistry Biological sciences/Chemical biology Physical sciences/Chemistry Biological sciences/Plant sciences Phlomoides rotata (Benth. ex Hook. f.) Mathiesen (Lamiophlomis rotata) essential oils characteristic metabolites norisoprenoids biosynthesis antioxidant activities Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementalTable.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 11 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 05 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 04 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 17 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 24 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 08 Sep, 2025 Editor invited by journal 08 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 05 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 05 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7155967","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":512495921,"identity":"5c97501c-dd1b-407c-b08f-a676b0738d41","order_by":0,"name":"Zheng Pan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chongqing medical university","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zheng","middleName":"","lastName":"Pan","suffix":""},{"id":512495922,"identity":"087f8ea7-ea5a-432d-84aa-3c58fffdfdfb","order_by":1,"name":"Chen Xie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chongqing medical 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Mathiesen (Lamiophlomis rotata), essential oils, characteristic metabolites, norisoprenoids, biosynthesis, antioxidant activities","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7155967/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7155967/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The antioxidant properties and characteristic metabolites of Phlomoides rotata (P. rotata) essential oils (EOs) remain largely unexplored. To address this gap, we combined metabolomic profiling with in vitro antioxidant assays to systematically characterize EOs from P. rotata. Cryoprecipitation of EOs yielded two fractions: crystals (Crs) and crystal-free EOs (CEs). GC-MS identified 125 components (84.41-94.86%), including 94 novel reports in P. rotata. Dominant constituents were long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs, 42.33-75.73%) and their esters (3.44-15.21%), notably palmitic acid (14.49-63.13%), myristic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and methyl palmitate. Eleven norisoprenoids, including trans-β-damascenone, were discovered—a fivefold increase from previously reported diversity—with their biosynthetic pathways elucidated. Eleven chemical markers were established, encompassing geraniol, linalool, trans-β-damascenone, hexahydrofarnesyl acetone, palmitic acid, α-terpineol, myristic acid, phytol, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and methyl palmitate. Palmitic acid, myristic acid, methyl palmitate, and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone showed negligible or pro-oxidative activity. Linoleic acid, oleic acid, trans-β-damascenone, and phytol exhibited concentration-dependent antioxidant effects. Phytol demonstrated exceptional potency, surpassing quercetin in cellular antioxidant activity at 80 μmol/L. CEs exhibited significantly stronger antioxidant capacity in both DPPH and ABTS assays compared to EOs and Crs. Palmitic acid depletion in CEs was identified as a critical factor driving enhanced antioxidant performance. 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