Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Satureja kitaibelii essential oil against pathogenic microbial strains

Plant species Satureja kitaibelii Wierzb. ex Heuff. is used as a spice and as a natural preservative for food and herbal tea, owing to its characteristic scent and flavor as well as high antimicrobial activity. In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of isolated essential oil of S. kitaibelii was tested against a panel of 30 pathogenic microorganisms (foodborne microbes, selected multiresistant bacterial isolates from the patient wounds and dermatophyte isolates). Limonene (15.54%), p-cymene (9.99%), and borneol (8.91%) appeared as the main components in 44 identified compounds representing 98.44% of the oil. Essential oil of S. kitaibelii showed significant activity against a wide spectrum of foodborne microbes (MIC=0.18-25.5 microg mL(-1)) and multiresistant bacterial isolates (MIC=6.25-50.0 microg mL(-1)), as well as against dermatophyte strains (MIC=12.5-50.0 microg mL(-1)). These results demonstrate that S. kitaibelii essential oil could be used as a natural potential antimicrobial agent against pathogenic strains in the treatment of foodborne disease, wound and skin infections.     

Composition and in vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils from four Satureja species growing in Iran

The composition and in?vitro antibacterial activity of essential oils from four Satureja species (S. bachtiarica, S. khuzistanica, S. mutica and S. rechingeri) growing in Iran were determined. According to the results of GC-FID and GC-MS analysis, all oil samples were principally composed of phenolic constituents (carvacrol and/or thymol) with the percentages ranging from 41.2% (S. bachtiarica) to 77.7% (S. rechingeri). Determining antibacterial activities by the disc diffusion method against two Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacteria revealed the maximum activity against Bacillus cereus with a range of minimum inhibitory concentration values from 0.25 to 1?mg?mL(-1) and minimum bactericidal concentration values from 0.5 to 1?mg?mL(-1). The oils of S. khuzistanica and S. rechingeri appeared to be more active in general than those of other species. In conclusion, the essential oils of studied Satureja species have the potential to be considered as alternatives for synthetic food preservatives.     

Chemical composition,antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of essential oil from rhizome and leaves of Curcuma mutabilis Škorničk., M. Sabu & Prasanthk., endemic to Western Ghats of India

Abstract

Hydro-distilled essential oils, from fresh rhizomes and leaves of Curcuma mutabilis ?korni?k., M.Sabu & Prasanthk., characterized by GC–MS revealed the presence of thirty three and twenty three compounds therein respectively. Whilst estrone methyl ether (3-Methoxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-one) was the major component in rhizome oil (47.35%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons predominated as the major group (63.92%) in leaf oil with a higher preponderance of β-caryophyllene (25.48%), β-farnesene (19.47%) and α-humulene (11.01%). Weak antioxidant activities observed in these oils determined by DPPH and ABTS methods were apparently influenced both by the oil composition and the assay conditions. Rhizome oil showed higher antiproliferative activity than leaf oil against leukemic K562 (IC₅₀-6.8µg/mL) and colorectal HCT116 (IC₅₀-8.5µg/mL) cancer cell lines. This first report reveals composition and biological activities of essential oils from C. mutabilis.     

Chemical composition, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential Oil of Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. Pubescens varieties from China

The essential oils of Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. Pubescens, Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. Gracilis, Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. Heterocycla and Phyllostachys kwangsiensis leaves were obtained by steam distillation. Their chemical components were separated and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Meanwhile, the effect of scavenging free radicals of essential oil was assayed by using the DPPH·method with Trolox? as control to evaluate their antioxidant capacities. Gram-positive (Staphyloccocus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) were selected as the indicator microorganisms to evaluate the antimicrobial activity. Antimicrobial properties were estimated by the agar diffusion method. The results show that 63 components were separated and identified by GC/MS from these varieties of bamboo leaves. cis-3-Hexenol, whose content in cv. Pubescens, Gracilis, Heterocycla and Ph. kwangsiensis was 27.11%, 24.62%, 30.51% and 34.65%, respectively, was the main constituent. The relative content of alcohol compounds in these varieties of essential oils ranged from 39.8% to 46.64%. All of the bamboo leaf essential oils possessed certain antioxidant capacity; the corresponding IC?? values were 3.1622, 4.9353, 4.2473, and 5.4746 μL/mL, respectively. Essential oils of all tested bamboo spp. were active against Staphylococcus epidermidis and E. coli, showing a positive correlation with the essential oil concentration of 50.42-300 μL/mL. The results indicated there were no significant differences among three varieties and the related species with respect to their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. This paper provides evidence for studying the essential composition from different varieties of bamboo leaves.     

Antibacterial activities of essential oils extracted from leaves of Murraya koenigii by solvent-free microwave extraction and hydro-distillation

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) for the isolation of essential oil from leaves of Murraya koenigii L. (Rutaceae) has been compared with the conventional hydro-distilled oil (HD) in terms of yield, composition, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial activity against Listeria innocua. The yield of essential oil obtained from 30 min of SFME was similar to that of HD for 180 min. By GC-MS analysis, the major compounds of the essential oil extracted by SFME, which were obtained in somewhat lower amounts than in the essential oil obtained by HD, were alpha-copaene (44.3%), beta-gurjunene (25.5%), isocaryophyllene (12.1%), beta-caryophyllene (8.7%) and germacrene D (2.9%). The content of oxygenated terpenes, slightly higher for the SFME-essential oil (2.3%) than the HD-essential oil (1.4%), were much lower than that of nonoxygenated terpenes in both oils. DPPH radical scavenging activities of both essential oils were relatively low (10%-24%). Complete inhibition of growth of L. innocua was observed with both SFME and HD essential oils, at 400 and 600 microg/mL (minimum inhibitory concentration), respectively. The SFME-essential oil at 300 microg/mL provided 92% inhibition, indicating its potential as a natural antimicrobial agent.     

Phytochemical analysis and in vitro antimicrobial and free-radical-scavenging activities of the essential oils from Euryops arabicus and Laggera decurrens

The essential oils of the aerial part of two Asteraceae species, namely Euryops arabicus Steud. and Laggera decurrens (Vahl.) Hepper and Wood, were studied by GC and GC/MS. In parallel the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were evaluated. The investigation led to the identification of 48 and 44 compounds for both plants, respectively. The essential oil of E. arabicus was rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenes (39.9%). The oil also contained a high content of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (24.1%). Compounds such as caryophyllene oxide (8.6%), T-cadinol (7.0%), spathulenol (5.2%), (E)-β-caryophyllene (6.0%) and 2-epi-(E)-β-caryophyllene (6.0%) were the main constituents of the oil. Oxygenated monoterpenes also predominated in L. decurrens (46.3%). The thymoquinone-derivative, 3-methoxy-2-methyl-5-(1-methylethyl)-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione (28.1%), thymol (5.7%) and eudesma-11-en-4a-ol (7.0%) were the most abundant constituents. Both essential oils showed antimicrobial activity with MIC-values between 0.13-5.25 mg/mL. Furthermore, only the essential oil of L. decurrens exhibited a strong antioxidant activity (91%) at 500 μg/mL.     

Comparative chemical, cytotoxicity and antileishmanial properties of essential oils from Chenopodium ambrosioides

In countries where leishmaniasis is endemic, there are not very many treatment alternatives and most options have problems associated with their use. Plants and their natural products constitute good sources of interesting lead compounds that could be potentially active against Leishmania. Chenopodium ambrosioides is a plant that is widely used in popular medicine and its antiparasitic effects have been documented, including the antileishmanial potentialities of Chenopodium oil. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition, in-vitro cytotoxicity and antileishmanial activity of essential oils extracted from C. ambrosioides, which received different treatments prior to extraction. The chemical characterization by GC-MS of the three essential oil samples showed similar composition and the major components were alpha-terpinene (17.0-20.7%), p-cymene (20.2-21.1%) and ascaridole (30.5-47.1%). The essential oils exhibited similar antileishmanial activities against intracellular amastigote form, with IC50 values between 4.7 and 12.4 microg/mL. However, a lower cytotoxicity was displayed by the essential oil extracted from fresh green vegetable material, which was statistically different (P < 0.05) from the other samples. This study demonstrated that the prior treatment of plant material did not interfere with the antiparasitic activity of essential oils from C. ambrosioides but did change their cytotoxicity, which should be taken into account in further studies.     

Chemical variability and antioxidant activity of Cedrus atlantica Manetti essential oils isolated from wood tar and sawdust

The present research was devoted to evaluating the effect of provenance and wood pyrolysis process on the phytochemical and antioxidant activity of essential oils extracted from sawdust and tar of Cedrus atlantica Manetti of Morocco. The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation from Cedar wood growing in two geographical locations of the Middle Atlas of Morocco (Senoual and Itzer forests) using a Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Seventy compounds were approximately identified for each essential oil, accounting for 94% of the total oil’s composition, with the predominance of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, where, α-himachalene (13.75%, 1.15%, 12.2%, and 16.69%) and β-himachalene (24.05%, 24.25%, 27.67%, and 44.23%) represented the major constituents in the four essential oils obtained. Multivariate analysis was used to discriminate the essential oils using principal component analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Clustering Analysis (HCA). In addition, heatmap for dendrogram was used to investigate any correlation between the chemical profiles of each essential oil. Moreover, the antioxidant properties of the essential oils were studied using DPPH scavenging and Ferric Ion Reducing Power (FRAP). The results indicate that the essential oils from wood tar of Cedrus atlantica possess a strong antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 0.126 mg/mL and 0.143 mg/mL) in comparison with those from sawdust (IC₅₀ = 15.6 mg/mL and 16.3 mg/mL).     

Antioxidant and antiproliferative activity of Laurus nobilis L. (Lauraceae) leaves and seeds essential oils against K562 human chronic myelogenous leukaemia cells

The antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of the essential oils from Laurus nobilis leaves and seeds in relation to their composition were analysed. The most abundant components of the leaf essential oil were 1,8-cineole, 1-p-menthen-8-ethyl acetate, linalool and sabinene, while the seed oil was characterised by β-ocimene, 1,8-cineole, α-pinene and β-pinene as main constituents. Both seed and leaf essential oils exhibited a scavenging effect on the DPPH radical, with IC?? values of 66.1 and 53.5?μg?mL?1, respectively. The leaf essential oil showed the strongest antioxidant activity in the β-carotene/linoleic acid system, with an IC?? value of 35.6?μg?mL?1 after 30?min of incubation. Both leaf and seed oils inhibited proliferation of the K562 tumour cell line with IC?? values of 95 and 75?μg?mL?1, respectively. The L. nobilis leaf oil showed a percentage of erythroide differentiation of 15% at a concentration of 10?μg?mL?1. A value of 12% was found for the seed essential oil at a concentration of 50?μg?mL?1. When the oils were added to a suboptimal concentration of the commercial drug, cytosine arabinoside, a clear synergic effect was observed.     

Fumigant Antifungal Activity of Myrtaceae Essential Oils and Constituents from <em>Leptospermum petersonii</em> against Three <em>Aspergillus</em> Species

Commercial plant essential oils obtained from 11 Myrtaceae plant species were tested for their fumigant antifungal activity against Aspergillus ochraceus, A. flavus, and A. niger. Essential oils extracted from Leptospermum petersonii at air concentrations of 56 × 10^-3 mg/mL and 28 × 10^-3 mg/mL completely inhibited the growth of the three Aspergillus species. However, at an air concentration of 14 × 10^-3 mg/mL, inhibition rates of L. petersonii essential oils were reduced to 20.2% and 18.8% in the case of A. flavus and A. niger, respectively. The other Myrtaceae essential oils (56 × 10^-3 mg/mL) only weakly inhibited the fungi or had no detectable affect. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified 16 compounds in L. petersonii essential oil. The antifungal activity of the identified compounds was tested individually by using standard or synthesized compounds. Of these, neral and geranial inhibited growth by 100%, at an air concentration of 56 × 10^-3 mg/mL, whereas the activity of citronellol was somewhat lover (80%). The other compounds exhibited only moderate or weak antifungal activity. The antifungal activities of blends of constituents identified in L. petersonii oil indicated that neral and geranial were the major contributors to the fumigant and antifungal activities.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from Centaurea pannonica and C. jacea

The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from Centaurea pannonica (Heufel) Simonkai and C. jacea L. (Asteraceae), were investigated. The essential oils were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Forty five and twenty nine compounds were identified in the two oils, respectively. C. pannonica oil was rich in fatty acids (43.7%), with 9-octadecanoic acid (34.0%) and (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (8.6%) as the major compounds. In contrast, the essential oil of C. jacea was dominated by oxygenated sesquiterpenes (43.2%), among which caryophyllene oxide (23.5%) and spathulenol (8.9%) were the major constituents. However, the oil was also characterized by an important fatty acid fraction (15.5%), with 9-octadecanoic acid (8.9%) and hexadecanoic acid (6.6%) being the main components. The antimicrobial activities of the essential oils were evaluated by the microdilution method against three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria, and one yeast. Both oils exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, especially against Gram-positive bacteria.     

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oils of Satureja thymbra growing wild in Libya

The composition of essential oil isolated from Satureja thymbra, growing wild in Libya, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The essential oil was characterized by γ-terpinene (39.23%), thymol (25.16%), p-cymene (7.17%) and carvacrol (4.18%) as the major constituents. Antioxidant activity was analyzed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. It possessed strong antioxidant activity (IC50 = 0.0967 mg/mL). The essential oil was also screened for its antimicrobial activity against eight bacterial and eight fungal species, showing excellent antimicrobial activity against the microorganisms used, in particular against the fungi. The oil of S. thymbra showed bacteriostatic activity at 0.001-0.1 mg/mL and was bactericidal at 0.002-0.2 mg/mL; fungistatic effects at 0.001-0.025 mg/mL and fungicidal effects at 0.001-0.1 mg/mL. The main constituents thymol, carvacrol and γ-terpinene also showed strong antimicrobial activity. The commercial fungicide bifonazole showed much lower antifungal activity than the tested oil.     

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils from the Leaves,Stems, and Roots of Kadsura coccinea

The chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from the leaves, stems, and roots of Kadsura coccinea (K. coccinea) were investigated. The essential oils were extracted by hydro distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Antioxidant activities of the essential oils were examined with DPPH radical scavenging assay, ABTS cation radical scavenging assay, and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay. Antimicrobial activities were evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum microbiocidal concentrations (MMC). Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of the essential oils were also tested. A total of 46, 44, and 47 components were identified in the leaf, stem, and root oils, representing 95.66%, 97.35%, and 92.72% of total composition, respectively. The major compounds of three essential oils were α-pinene (16.60–42.02%), β-pinene (10.03–18.82%), camphene (1.56–10.95%), borneol (0.50–7.71%), δ-cadinene (1.52–7.06%), and β-elemene (1.86–4.45%). The essential oils were found to have weak antioxidant activities and cholinesterase inhibition activities. The essential oils showed more inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) than those of other strains. The highest antimicrobial activity was observed in the root oil against S. aureus, with MIC of 0.78 mg/mL. Therefore, K. coccinea essential oils might be considered as a natural antibacterial agent against S. aureus with potential application in food and pharmaceutical industries.     

Chemical composition and insecticidal activity against Sitophilus zeamais of the essential oils derived from Artemisia giraldii and Artemisia subdigitata

The aim of this research was to determine the chemical composition and insecticidal activity of the essential oils derived from flowering aerial parts of Artemisia giraldii Pamp. and A. subdigitata Mattf. (Family: Asteraceae) against the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.). Essential oils of aerial parts of A. giraldii and A. subdigitata were obtained from hydrodistillation and investigated by GC and GC-MS. A total of 48 and 33 components of the essential oils of A. giraldii and A. subdigitata were identified, respectively. The principal compounds in A. giraldii essential oil were β-pinene (13.18%), iso-elemicin (10.08%), germacrene D (5.68%), 4-terpineol (5.43%) and (Z)-β-ocimene (5.06%). 1,8-Cineole (12.26%) and α-curcumene (10.77%) were the two main components of the essential oil of A. subdigitata, followed by β-pinene (7.38%), borneol (6.23%) and eugenol (5.87%). The essential oils of A. giraldii and A. subdigitata possessed fumigant toxicity against the maize weevils with LC50 values of 6.29 and 17.01 mg/L air, respectively. The two essential oils of A. giraldii and A. subdigitata also exhibited contact toxicity against S. zeamais adults with LD50 values of 40.51 and 76.34 μg/adult, respectively. The results indicated that the two essential oils show potential in terms of fumigant and contact toxicity against grain storage insects.     

Essential oil composition, cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of five Etlingera species from Borneo

Essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the rhizomes of Etlingera pyramidosphaera (K. Schum.) R. M. Sm, E. megalocheilos (Griff.) A.D. Poulsen, comb. nov., E. coccinea (Blume) S. Sakai & Nagam, E. elatior (Jack) R. M. Sm, and E. brevilabrum (Valeton) R. M. Sm were analyzed by GCMS. The highest oil yield was obtained from E. pyramidosphaera (0.45%), followed by E. elatior (0.38%), E. coccinea (0.30%), E. brevilabrum (0.28%) and E. megalocheilos (0.25%). The major constituents of the essential oils were oxygenated monoterpenes, followed by sesquiterpenes, oxygenated sesquiterpenes, oxygenated diterpenes and diterpenes. The essential oils from E. pyramidosphaera and E. brevilabrum exhibited the best cytotoxicity against MCF 7 (LC50: 7.5 +/- 0.5 mg mL(-1)) and HL 60 (LC50: 5.0 mg mL(-1)), respectively. Strong inhibition was also observed for the essential oils of E. coccinea and E. megalocheilos against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC: 8.0 +/- 0.5 mg mL(-1), and 5.0 +/- 0.5 mg mL(-1)) and Streptococcus pyrogenes (MIC: 6.0 +/- 0.5 mg mL(-1) and 8.0 +/- 0.5 mg mL(-1)).     

Potential interaction between the volatile and non-volatile fractions on the in vitro antimicrobial activity of three South African Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) species

Previous studies have reported promising antimicrobial efficacy for the essential oils and solvent extracts of several indigenous Pelargonium species. This study aimed to determine if any pharmacological interaction (e.g. synergism or antagonism) exists between the volatile and non-volatile components when the different fractions were investigated. The antimicrobial activity of the following fractions were tested; the essential oil prepared by hydrodistillation (EO), non-volatile fraction (NV), prepared by extraction of plant material remaining in the distilling apparatus (having no or negligible volatile constituents) and solvent extracts prepared from fresh (FC) and dried (DC) plant material containing both volatile and non-volatile constituents. Pelargonium quercifolium oil was dominated by p-cymene (42.1%) and viridiflorol (16.9%), while P. graveolens and P. tomentosum oil had high levels of isomenthone (84.0 and 58.8%, respectively). Menthone was noted as a major constituent in the P. tomentosum EO sample. It was evident from the results that the presence of volatile constituents in the three species; P. graveolens, P. quercifolium and P. tomentosum is generally not a pre-requisite for antimicrobial activity. The most significant variations of antimicrobial activity were noted for P. tomentosum where poorer activity was noted for the FC and EO fractions against Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans. Studies on Staphylococcus aureus, however, showed the converse, where best activity was noted for the FC fraction (3.0 mg/mL). For P. quercifolium, the DC fraction indicated a notable increase in anti-staphylococcal activity (2.0 mg/mL) when compared with the FC (8.0 mg/mL) and EO (16.0 mg/mL) fractions. For P. tomentosum, the FC fraction indicated much lower antimicrobial activity (against both B. cereus and C. albicans) when compared with all other fractions, suggesting that the essential oils may impact negatively on the antimicrobial activity when tested against these two pathogens.     

Chemical constituents and larvicidal activity of Hymenaea courbaril fruit peel

The chemical compositions of the essential oils from the peel of ripe and unripe fruits of Hymenaea courbaril L., obtained by hydrodistillation, were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The main constituents of the essential oil from the peel of the ripe fruits were the sesquiterpenes alpha-copaene (11.1%), spathulenol (10.1%) and beta-selinene (8.2%), while germacrene-D (31.9%), beta-caryophyllene (27.1%) and bicyclogermacrene (6.5%) were the major compounds in the oil from unripe fruits. The essential oils were tested against Aedes aegypti larvae and showed LC50 values of 14.8 +/- 0.4 microg/mL and 28.4 +/- 0.3 microg/mL for the ripe and unripe fruit peel oils, respectively. From the peel of the ripe fruits, the diterpenes zanzibaric acid and isoozic acid were isolated, along with the sesquiterpene caryolane-1,9beta-diol. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of this sesquiterpene in the genus. The structures of all compounds isolated were identified on the basis of their spectral data (IR, MS, 1D- and 2D-NMR) and by comparison with literature spectral data.     

Chemical composition and biological activity of the volatile extracts of Achillea millefolium

In this study, flowering aerial parts of wild Achillea millefolium growing on the Mediterranean coast (Sardinia Island, Italy) and on the Atlantic coast (Portugal- Serra de Montemuro) were used as a matrix for supercritical extraction of volatile oil with CO2 (SFE). The collected extracts were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS methods and their composition were compared with that of the essential oil isolated by hydrodistillation. A strong chemical variability in essential oils depending on the origin of the samples was observed. The results showed the presence of two type oils. The Italian volatile extracts (SFE and essential oil) are predominantly composed by alpha-asarone (25.6-33.3%, in the SFE extract and in the HD oil, respectively), beta-bisabolene (27.3-16.6%) and alpha-pinene (10.0-17.0%); whereas the main components of the Portuguese extracts are trans-thujone (31.4-29.0%), trans-crhysanthenyl acetate (19.8-15.8%) and beta-pinene (1.2-11.1%). The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal lethal concentration (MLC) were used to evaluate the antifungal activity of the oils against Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, C. krusei, C. guillermondii, C. parapsilosis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale, T. verrucosum, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, Epidermophyton floccosum, Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus and A. flavus. The oils showed the highest activity against dermatophyte strains, with MIC values ranging from 0.32-1.25 microL mL(-1).     

Chemical and biological evaluation of essential oils from two species of Myrtaceae - Eugenia uniflora L. and Plinia trunciflora (O. Berg) Kausel

The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils obtained from leaves of two Myrtaceae species-Eugenia uniflora L. and Plinia trunciflora (O. Berg) Kausel-were determined. Analysis by GC/MS as well as determination of Kovatz indexes indicated atractylone (26.78%) and curzerene (17.96%) as major constituents of E. uniflora oil and α-cadinol (19.15%), apiole (11.15%) and cubenol (5.43%) as main components in P. trunciflora oil. Both essential oils were tested for antimicrobial activity against yeasts and bacteria. E. uniflora and P. trunciflora essential oils were active towards two Gram-positive bacteria, Streptococcus equi and Staphylococcus epidermis. In addition, biological activity of both essential oils was detected for pathogenic yeasts of the genus Candida and Cryptococcus. E. uniflora was active towards all yeast tested and exhibited interesting minimal inhibitory concentrations (0.11 to 3.75 mg/mL) across a broad spectrum of activity.     

Essential oil composition and antiradical activity of the oil of Iraq plants

This study examined the antiradical activity and chemical composition of essential oils of some plants grown in Mosul, Iraq. The essential oils of myrtle and parsley seed contained α-pinene (36.08% and 22.89%, respectively) as main constituents. Trans-Anethole was the major compound found in fennel and aniseed oils (66.98% and 93.51%, respectively). The dominant constituent of celery seed oil was limonene (76.63%). Diallyl disulphide was identified as the major component in garlic oil (36.51%). Antiradical activity was higher in garlic oil (76.63%) and lower in myrtle oil (39.23%). The results may suggest that some essential oils from Iraq possess compounds with antiradical activity, and these oils can be used as natural antioxidants in food applications.