Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Essential Oil from Dysphania ambrosioides from Bulgaria

In this article, we report a comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition and biological activity of Dysphania ambrosioides essential oil (DA-EO) originating from Bulgaria. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis led to the identification of 53 constituents, revealing a complex phytochemical profile. The results classify the investigated oil as a thymol-carvacrol chemotype, dominated by oxygenated monoterpenes (56.79%), with thymol (19.45%) and carvacrol (14.30%) as the major components. This compositional profile differs markedly from the ascaridole-rich chemotypes commonly reported in the literature. The biological activity of DA-EO was evaluated through its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. The oil exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microorganisms such as S. aureus, E. coli, and L. monocytogenes. Antioxidant assays (HPSA, HRSA) indicated moderate activity, closely associated with the terpenoid composition of the oil. The anti-inflammatory potential, assessed via inhibition of albumin denaturation (IAD), was analyzed using nonlinear four-parameter (4PL) and five-parameter (5PL) logistic models. The obtained IC₅₀ values (67.0-77.0 µg/mL) were comparable to those of the reference drug ibuprofen, highlighting the significant potential of DA-EO as a natural therapeutic agent.