Chemical composition of Artemisia commutata bess

Introduction. Artemisia commutatа Bess. is a herbaceous species of the family Asteraceae, distributed across Siberia and the European part of Russia. Despite the wide occurrence of this taxon, information regarding the chemical composition of its essential oil, fatty acids, and elemental profile has not previously been reported. Such data are of particular relevance, as members of the genus Artemisia L. are known to be a rich source of bioactive metabolites with diverse pharmacological activities.

Objective. The present work aimed to perform a comprehensive phytochemical and elemental characterization of the aerial parts of A. commutata.

Materials and Methods. Aerial parts of A. commutata were collected in the Republic of Buryatia (Khorinsky District, flowering stage, 2022). Essential oil and lipid fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) following standard sample preparation. Elemental composition was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS).

Results. Hydrodistillation of the aerial parts yielded an essential oil containing 53 identified constituents. The major compounds were capillin (29,30%), methyl eugenol (23,33%), spathulenol (14,90%), benzyl diacetylene (8,81%), caryophyllene oxide (5,25%), methyl chavicol (4,36%), ar-curcumene (1,56%), and elemicin (0,93%). The lipid fraction was characterized by both unsaturated and saturated higher fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids were dominated by linoleic (35,75%), oleic (7,67%), and linolenic (4,85%) acids, whereas saturated fatty acids included palmitic (35,42%), stearic (6,41%), eicosanoic (5,37%), and heneicosanoic (7,53%) acids. Elemental analysis demonstrated the presence of macroelements (K, Na, Ca, Mg) and microelements (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr).

Conclusions. This is the first report on the essential oil composition, fatty acid profile, and elemental content of A. commutata. The predominance of capillin, methyl eugenol, and spathulenol in the essential oil, together with the presence of nutritionally and pharmacologically relevant fatty acids and trace elements, highlights the potential of this species as a promising source of biologically active compounds. These findings provide a chemical basis for further pharmacological evaluation of A. commutata in relation to its possible anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor activities.