Antibacterial potential of essential oils of the needles of Pinus halepensis against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

Abstract

Objective: To examine the in vitro antimicrobial activities of essential oil of the needles of Pinus halepensis (P. halepensis). Methods: The antibacterial activity of essential oil of the needles of P. halepensis was determined using the agar well diffusion technique and disc diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Results: The diameter of zones of inhibition exhibited by the essential oil was between 6 and 17 mm. The essential oils was compared favorably with gentamycin used as a standard control. The minimum inhibitory concentration determined by the agar well diffusion method was 0.52 mg/ mL for Staphylococcus aureus and 2.15 mg/mL for Escherichia coli. The minimum bactericidal concentration of the oils against the two microorganisms was 4.17 mg/mL. Conclusions: The results obtained from this study reveal that P. halepensis essential oils possess antibacterial activities and can be used as antimicrobial agents in the search for new drugs.