Investigation of phytochemical and biological activityproperties of Thymus ekimii yild.

In this study, a comprehensive phytochemical and biological activity evaluation was conducted on Thymus ekimii Yild. (Lamiaceae). The essential oil (THY) from the aerial parts was obtained by hydrodistillation, while the fixed fatty acids (T-FAME) and vitamins (T-VIT) were extracted using liquid-liquid microextraction. Additionally, n- hexane and methanol-water-aceton bulk extracts from the herb (THL, THP) and root (TRL, TRP) parts were prepared by maceration. The chemical compositions of the obtained essential oil, fixed fatty acids, vitamins, and hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts were analyzed using gas, liquid and convergence chromatographic techniques. Furthermore, the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of the extracts were determined spectrophotometrically. The essential oil was found to be rich in oxygenated monoterpenes, with thymol (75.0%) and carvacrol (3.9%) identified as the major volatile components. The lipophilic extract of the aerial parts contained thymol (26.8%), nonacosane (16.8%), β-sitosterol (11.6%), and oleanolic acid (13.5%). Carbohydrates constituted more than half (56.3%) of the polar extract, while triterpenoids and phenolic acids were determined to be 10.4% and 5.8%, respectively. The root apolar extract was mostly composed of phytosterols (53.8%), including β-sitosterol (27.7%), lanosterol (6.5%), and cycloartenol (6.5%). The triterpenoids (22.3%) wererepresented by ursolic acid (7.7%), betulonic acid (7.2%), and ursadienoic acid (5.9%). Phenolic compounds were represented by rosmarinic acid, vanillic acid, cynaroside, luteolin, cosmosiin, and naringenin. Among the fatty acids, linolenic (23.2%), linoleic (13.8%), oleic (13.3%), nonadecanoic (29.6%), and palmitic (11.9%) acids were identified. Vitamin E and β- carotene were detected among the lipophilic vitamins. The antioxidant activities of the essential oil and extracts were evaluated using the phosphomolybdenum, DPPH, TEAC, and SNAP assays. An α-glucosidase inhibition effect was observed using the microtiter plate technique.