What does this research mean for the field?

The chemical composition of Peganum harmala L. seed essential oil varies significantly across maturation stages, demonstrating moderate antioxidant activity and specific antimicrobial efficacy against S. aureus and C. albicans. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to investigate the chemical composition and bioactivity of essential oil from Peganum harmala seeds at different maturation stages.

June 7, 2026

First investigation on the chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial and molecular docking studies of the essential oil obtained from Peganum harmala L. seeds at different stages of maturation

Key Points

This research aims to investigate the chemical composition and bioactivity of essential oil from Peganum harmala seeds at different maturation stages.
Essential oils were extracted via hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC-MS.
Chemical composition was evaluated in unripe, semi-ripe, and ripe stages.
Molecular docking studies assessed the bioactivity of key oil components.
65 compounds identified with hexadecanoic acid and phytol predominant in unripe seeds at 20.3% and 13.9%, respectively.
Moderate antioxidant activity with DPPH IC50 values between 0.76 ± 0.01 and 2.72 ± 0.02 mg/mL.
Significant antimicrobial effects against S. aureus ATCC 6816 and C. albicans ATCC 10231, with limited efficacy on E. coli ATCC 25922.

Abstract

This is the first report on the chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil of Peganum harmala L. seeds harvested at different maturation stages, i.e. unripe, semi-ripe, and ripe. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and their chemical composition was determined by GC-MS. 65 compounds were detected. Unripe seeds were characterised by hexadecanoic acid (20.3%) and phytol (13.9%). In semi-ripe seeds, n-pentacosane (23.0%) and hexadecanoic acid (21.8%) predominated, whereas hexahydrofarnesylacetone (33.7%) and 1-eicosanol (11.3%) were the main compounds of ripe seeds. The essential oils exhibited moderate scavenging activity against DPPH radicals, with IC50 values ranging from 0.76 ± 0.01 to 2.72 ± 0.02 mg/mL. Antimicrobial activity was mainly directed against S. aureus ATCC 6816 and C. albicans ATCC 10231, while the efficacy on E. coli ATCC 25922 was limited. Molecular docking studies have identified key components of the essential oil of P. harmala seeds that exhibit significant bioactivity.

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