Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of the rhizome essential oil of Distichochlamys citrea

Distichochlamys citrea, an endemic plant native to central Vietnam, holds significant ethnomedicinal value in Vietnamese herbal medicine. Although the essential oil derived from the rhizome of D. citrea is known for its bioactivities, including antibacterial and antioxidant properties, its anti-inflammatory potential has not been extensively explored yet. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effect of the essential oil has been comprehensively evaluated from in silico to in vivo studies. A molecular docking study revealed that cineole, neral, and geranial, three main components of the essential oil, were capable of forming promising interactions with 5-lipoxygenase and inducible nitric oxide synthase (ranging from -4.7 to -6.3 kcal/mol). Furthermore, the essential oil exhibited a strong inhibitory effect against protein denaturation (86.67%, 100 µg/mL). In the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, the essential oil (4%) could inhibit 32.83% of paw edema as compared to the NaCl-treated group. Collectively, these findings position the essential oil extracted from rhizomes of D. citrea as a novel candidate for the development of anti-inflammatory medicine.