First report on the chemical profile and antioxidant activity of Moroccan Crithmum maritimum essential oils

Sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) is a wild halophyte valued for its culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic applications owing to its rich nutritional profile and distinctive sensory properties. This study provides the first investigation of essential oils (EOs) extracted from different parts of Moroccan C. maritimum (leaves, inflorescences, and stems) using hydrodistillation, with the aim of evaluating their phytochemical composition and bioactive potential. The oils were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), while total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP assays) were assessed spectrophotometrically. The highest EO yield was obtained from inflorescences (0.59%), followed by leaves (0.44%) and stems (0.28%). GC-MS analysis identified more than 30 compounds, with dillapiole (16.41-32.47%), γ-terpinene (18.31-32.34%), and thymol methyl ether (19.76-22.33%) as the major constituents. Stems and leaves exhibited the highest phenolic contents (17.97 ± 1.07 and 17.64 ± 0.75 mg GAE/g EO, respectively), while inflorescences contained significantly lower amounts (15.17 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g EO). Antioxidant evaluation showed that leaf oil possessed the highest radical-scavenging capacity (DPPH), whereas stem oil demonstrated the greatest reducing power (FRAP). Molecular docking calculations were conducted to model the interaction between the six major constituents of C. maritimum EOs (dillapiole, γ-terpinene, thymol methyl ether, p-cymene, β-terpinene, and terpinen-4-ol), to evaluate their potential antioxidant activity. Among the identified C. maritimum EOs compounds, thymol methyl ether exhibited the most favorable binding profile with both target proteins NAD(P)H oxidase (PDB ID: 2CDU) and nitric oxide synthase (PDB ID: 6NGI), highlighting its potential as a broad-spectrum antioxidant. Overall, despite organ-dependent variations in yield and composition, all Moroccan C. maritimum EOs were rich in bioactive compounds with recognized biological properties. These findings highlight their potential for sustainable applications in nutraceutical, cosmetic, and food industries, supporting future valorisation of this halophyte through eco-friendly processing technologies.