Integrated Analysis of Chemical Composition and Bioactivity of Asteriscus pygmaeus Extracts and Essential Oil With Emphasis on Antioxidant and Enzyme Inhibitory Activities

The current study reports a comprehensive phytochemical analysis and bioactivity evaluation of Asteriscus pygmaeus growing wild in Jordan. Hydro‐distilled essential oils extracted from fresh and air‐dried plant material were subjected to GC/MS analysis and tested for antioxidant activities using DPPH, ABTS •+ , and FIC methods. Both oils revealed a distinctive chemical profile dominated by oxygenated sesquiterpenes (64.21% and 80.34%, respectively). Air‐dried hydro‐distilled essential oil (D‐HDEO) exhibited stronger DPPH and ABTS •+ scavenging power when compared to fresh one (F‐HDEO). This might be attributed to the abundant oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The plant material was subjected to Soxhlet extraction in solvents of different polarities (EtOAc, acetone, and MeOH), and then the obtained extracts were assayed for their TPC, TFC, antioxidant, antiproliferative, acetylcholine inhibition, and antibacterial activities, and their composition was qualitatively determined by LC–MS/MS. The acetone extract exhibited the highest TPC, TFC contents and revealed the strongest antioxidant and AChE inhibitory activities. The EtOAc extract demonstrated the most potent cytotoxic agent, it selectively inhibited the proliferation of MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cell lines (IC 50 11.6 ± 1.1 µg/mL) with selectivity index 2.4–21 compared to fibroblast and normal vero cell lines (IC 50 49.6 ± 2.3 and 75.1 ± 2.8 µg/mL, respectively).