Comparative chemical profiling, antimicrobial potential, and integrative network pharmacological assessment of Pinus roxburghii Sarg. essential oils

In this study, comparative chemical profiling of essential oils (EOs) extracted from the needles, stems, male and female cones of Pinus roxburghii Sarg. was conducted. The analysis of EOs were performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). Twenty-four EO metabolites were identified, which represent (94.87-99.63%) of total composition. EOs composition was dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons (79.9-93.32%) with a difference in abundance of metabolites. δ-3-Carene (40.03-64.52%), α-pinene (8.12-29.23%), (E)-caryophyllene (2.58-8.08%), β-pinene (0.92-7.06%), and terpinolene (4.17-6.54%) were found as major constituents of EOs. The antimicrobial potential of EOs were evaluated against three Gram-positive, three Gram-negative bacteria strains, and two fungal strains. Gram-positive bacterial strain Micrococcus luteus MTCC 2470, was found most susceptible to needle (30 ± 2 mm), stems (20.67 ± 1.2 mm), male cones (30.33 ± 1.5 mm), and female cones (26.67 ± 1.5 mm) EOs. Integrative network pharmacology analysis identified STAT3 as a key molecular target.