ABSTRACT
The antibacterial activity of the essential oil from leaves of Juniperus phoenicea (Cupressaceae) and its chemical constituents were investigated in this study. The essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID), and gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Sixty-three volatile compounds were identified representing 52 to 92% of the total oil compositions. The main monoterpenes were a-pinene (26.7-78.7%) and 6-3carene (7.6-15.4%). The antibacterial activity of J. phoenicea essential oil, when tested against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, showed high activity against all bacteria tested, except Pseudomonas.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Juniperus/chemistry , Oils, Volatile/pharmacology , Plant Oils/chemistry , Plant Oils/pharmacology , Morocco , Oils, Volatile/chemistry , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Plants, Medicinal/chemistryABSTRACT
Cupressus atlantica Gaussen, an endemic species from Morocco, is used in traditional medicine. The chemical composition of the essential oil isolated by hydrodistillation from the leaves was investigated by capillary gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and also evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activity. Sixty-one components, representing 98.1% of the total, were detected of which fifty-seven were identified. Germacrene D (34.8%), alpha-pinene (13.6%), delta-cadinene (6.1%), alpha-phellandrene (5.5%), gamma-cadinene (5.0%), beta-caryophyllene (4.8%) and alpha-humulene (4.4%) were the predominant compounds. The oil was characterized by a relatively high amount of oxygenated monoterpenes (66.5%). The oil, screened for antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative, showed pronounced activity against all the microbes tested, except Pseudomonas, which showed resistance.
