ABSTRACT
Zataria multiflora Boiss. is considered as an annual plant endemic in south of Iran. Origanum majorana L. is one of the most famous medicinal and nutritional herbs growing in the temperate zones of south Europe. These two have been used as carminative, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, bronchodilator and expectorant in traditional medicine of Iran and European countries. In the current study, chemical composition and antiviral effect of the essential oil of Z. multiflora and O. majorana are investigated. Composition of the essential oil samples obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of Z. multiflora and O. majorana [Lamiaceae] were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Antiviral effect of the oils were investigated on Herpese simplex separately. Twenty-four components in the oil of Z. multiflora with thymol [38%], carvacrol [34.96%] and para-cymene [7.17%] as the major constituents were identified. Twenty-seven components in the oil of O. majorana were recognized, whereas terpinene-4-ol [36.2%], para-cymene [16.3%] and gamma-terpinene [7.31%] were the main components. The concentration of 1/10000 of each oil was added to Hela cells contained with HSV-I. The growth of the organism was not inhibited at this concentration of the oils. In this research 98.62% and 96.72% of the essential oil of Z. multiflora and O. majorana were determined. Both essential oils were characterized by a high amount of oxygenated compounds [85.33% and 60.3% respectively]. Where as the concentration more than 1/10000 of the oils were citotoxic for Hela cells, more study and different methods is needed to investigate antiviral effects of these two oils