Chemical composition and bioactivities of Macaranga trichocarpa essential oil

The present study investigated chemical composition and in vitro bioactivities of the essential oil (EO) of Macaranga trichocarpa leaves. The EO was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed the identification of 61 volatile constituents representing 97.54% of the total oil content. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were the predominant class (52.58%), with (E)-β-caryophyllene (17.66%), α-curcumene (16.04%), β-pinene (13.83%), linalool (9.52%), and β-caryophyllene epoxide (5.19%), identified as the major constituents. The EO showed weak antioxidant activity in both DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. The EO demonstrated potent α-amylase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 120.70 ± 0.47 µg/mL), comparable to acarbose. Cytotoxicity evaluation using the MTT assay revealed that the EO exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect against the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line. These findings provide the first report on the chemical composition of M. trichocarpa leaf EO, along with preliminary in vitro screening of its enzymatic and cytotoxic properties.