Volatiles profiling and bioactivities of <i>Cupressus</i> spp. leaf and cone essential oils as analyzed via chemometrics tools

<p><i>Cupressus</i> is a genus of considerable medicinal value worldwide. The present work aims at assessing essential oil compositional differences within <i>Cupressus</i> in the context of its different genotypes and organs. Volatiles profiling was determined via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled to chemometrics. A total of 75 volatile components were identified. Monoterpene hydrocarbons amounted for the major volatile class, with α-pinene and 3-carene most abundant in <i>Cupressus sempervirens</i> versus sabinene and terpinen-4-ol in <i>Cupressus macrocarpa</i>. Multivariate data analyses revealed that α-pinene, sabinene, terpinen-4-ol and 3-carene are the most significant for species classification. The five examined essential oils exhibited potential insecticidal and anticholinesterase effects, with C. <i>sempervirens</i> var. pyramidalis cone oil being the most potent for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effect. The oil also exhibited potential fumigant toxicity toward <i>Sitophilus oryzae</i> and <i>Tribolium castaneum</i>. The results of the orthogonal partial least-square discriminant analysis revealed that α-pinene is the key bioactive component in <i>Cupressus oil</i>.