Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of the essential oils of Thymbra spicata var. intricata.

Abstract

In this study, T. spicata var. intricata, endemic to Turkey, were collected from various localities of Mugla, Turkey. The essential oils were obtained using the hydrodistillation method. The antimicrobial activities of the essential oils on micro-organisms, including multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria, were evaluated using the disc diffusion method. The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oils were effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, which included multiple antibiotic resistant strains. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Pseudomonas fluorescens MU 87 were resistant to these oils. The essential oils were very effective against Candida albicans. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils showed some variations depending on the localities from which they were collected. A total 24 components were identified in the essential oil. The main components were characterized as carvacrol (75.74%), γ-terpinene (9.28%), p-cymene (7.17%), myrcene (1.39%), β-caryophyllene (1.13%) and thymol (0.15%), respectively. Key words: Antimicrobial activity, chemical composition, Thymbra spicata var. intricata