p-Menthadienols-rich essential oil from Cymbopogon martini ameliorates skin inflammation

Cymbopogon martini variety sofia , commonly known as ginger-grass, is an important aromatic crop used by the perfumery, medicinal and cosmetic industries worldwide. This study explores the chemical and possible pharmacological profile of hydro-distilled essential oil of C. martini variety sofia against skin inflammation. The essential oil extracted by the hydrodistillation process was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to identify its constituents, and was coded as CMA-01 for further in vitro and in vivo pharmacological study related to skin inflammation. The chemical fingerprint revealed that CMA-01 oil has ( E )- p -mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol (21.0%), ( E )- p -mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol (18.1%), ( Z )- p -mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol (17.4%), ( Z )- p -mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol (9.0%), limonene (7.7%), and ( E )-carveol (5.7%) as major components. The pre-treatment of CMA-01 showed significant inhibition of pro-inflammatory markers in activated HaCat cells without cytotoxic effect. The in vivo study revealed the ameliorative impact of CMA-01 against skin inflammation induced by TPA in mouse ears as evidenced by a reduction of ear edema, pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-6, TNF-α), oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde and nitric-oxide) and histological changes in ear tissues without any skin irritation response on rabbit skin. These findings suggest the suitability of CMA-01 as a valuable therapeutic candidate for the treatment of skin inflammation.