Chemical variability of essential oils in natural populations of Cupressus dupreziana.

Essential oils extracted from dried leaves of Cupressus dupreziana A. Camus, an endemic species in the Tassili n'Ajjer (Central Sahara of Algeria), were analyzed by gas chomatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Analyses were carried out on 164 trees of 26 natural populations in order to determine the intra-specific variability. Thirty-two terpenoids were identified, the major ones being alpha-pinene (11.5-44.2), delta3-carene (5.7-31.7) and germacrene-D (15.7-54.1). The terpenoid markers used made it possible to determine the individual patterns of chemotypic variability. This variability confirmed that genetic factors were not responsible for the decrease in the number of this species, the main reason probably being the Tassili n'Ajjer desertification.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Genista ulicina and G. vepres.

The hydrodistilled oils from the aerial parts of Genista ulicina Spach. and G. vepres Pomel., which are endemic to Algeria, were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In the oil of G. ulicina, 41 compounds were identified representing 90.8% of the total oil, and in G. vepres, 61 compounds representing 84.5% of the total oil. The analyses showed that the major constituents of the oils were lauric acid (14.3%-8.5%), myristic acid (11.5%-5%), linoleic acid (3.1%-11.7%) and palmitic acid (18.6%-26.4%). Using a diffusion method, the oils showed significant antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923).