Chemical composition, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of the essential oil from the flowers of Tunisian Convolvulus althaeoides L

• Published in: Natural product research Vol. 28; no. 11; pp. 769 - 775
• Main Authors: Hassine, M., Zardi-Berguaoui, A., Znati, M., Flamini, G., Ben Jannet, H., Hamza, M.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 03.06.2014
• Subjects: Acinetobacter; Acinetobacter - drug effects; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antimicrobial activity; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - isolation & purification; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - pharmacology; composition; Convolvulus; Convolvulus - chemistry; Convolvulus althaeoides; cytotoxic activity; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Enterococcus faecalis; Enterococcus faecalis - drug effects; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - drug effects; essential oil; Female; Flowers - chemistry; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; GC-MS; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Monoterpenes - chemistry; Monoterpenes - isolation & purification; Monoterpenes - pharmacology; Oils, Volatile - chemistry; Plant Oils - chemistry; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - drug effects; Sesquiterpenes - chemistry; Sesquiterpenes - isolation & purification; Sesquiterpenes - pharmacology; Sesquiterpenes, Germacrane - chemistry; Sesquiterpenes, Germacrane - isolation & purification; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Terpenes - chemistry; Terpenes - isolation & purification; Tunisia; Convolvulus althaeoides; GC–MS; antimicrobial activity; cytotoxic activity; essential oil; composition
• ISSN: 1478-6419; 1478-6427
• DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2013.879476

This study describes the chemical composition and evaluates the antibacterial and the cytotoxic effects of the essential oil from the flowers of Convolvulus althaeoides. Its chemical composition, determined by GC and GC-MS, is reported for the first time. A total of 24 compounds, accounting for 95.5% of the total oil, have been identified. The oil was characterised by a high proportion of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (36.3%), followed by oxygenated sesquiterpenes (34.7%) and oxygenated monoterpenes (24.5%). The main compounds were germacrene D (12.5%), T-cadinol (11.8%) and verbenone (6.9%). The essential oil was tested for its antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and the clinical strain Acinetobacter sp. as well as facts cytotoxic activity towards the human breast cancer cells MCF-7. This oil did not exhibit significant antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria; however, it exerted a significant cytotoxic activity against the tested cell line (IC 50  = 8.16 μg/mL).