Chemical Characterization and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oil of Medicinal Plants from Eastern Serbia

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 25; no. 22; p. 5482
• Main Authors: Aćimović, Milica, Zorić, Miroslav, Zheljazkov, Valtcho D, Pezo, Lato, Čabarkapa, Ivana, Stanković Jeremić, Jovana, Cvetković, Mirjana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.11.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Achillea clypeolata; Achillea millefolium; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibacterial activity; Antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Camphor; Caryophyllene; Caryophyllene oxide; Chemical composition; Chemical compounds; Cineole; Composition; Constituents; Cosmetics; E coli; Essential oils; Food industry; Germacrene; Herbal medicine; Medicinal plants; Medicine; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Oils, Volatile - chemistry; Oils, Volatile - isolation & purification; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Oregano; Origanum vulgare; p-Cymene; Pharmaceutical industry; Phytochemicals; Plant Oils - chemistry; Plant Oils - isolation & purification; Plant Oils - pharmacology; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; Plants, Medicinal - classification; Satureja; Satureja kitaibelii; Serbia; Terpinene; Thymus serpyllum; Serbia; Thymus serpyllum; Achillea millefolium; Origanum vulgare; Achillea clypeolata; Satureja kitaibelii
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules25225482

The objective of this study was to evaluate wild growing , , , and with respect to their essential oil (EO) content, composition and antimicrobial activity. The five species were collected at Mt. Rtanj and the village of Sesalac, Eastern Serbia. The main EO constituents of Lamiaceae plants were -cymene (24.4%), geraniol (63.4%) and germacrene D (21.5%) in , and ssp. , respectively. EO had multiple constituents with major ones being camphor (9.8%), caryophyllene oxide (6.5%), terpinen-4-ol (6.3%) and 1,8-cineole (5.6%), while the main EO constituents of were 1,8-cineole (45.1%) and camphor (18.2%). Antimicrobial testing of the EO showed that (Gram-positive) was more sensitive to all of the tested EOs than (Gram-negative). EO showed the highest antimicrobial activity against both tested bacterial strains. This is the first study to characterize the EO composition and antimicrobial activity of these five medicinal species from Eastern Serbia in comparison with comprehensive literature data. The results can be utilized by the perfumery, cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industries, but also for healing purposes in self-medication.