Antioxidant and Antibacterial Capacities of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil from the Arid Andean Region of Chile and its Chemical Characterization by GC-MS

Mario J Simirgiotis,Claudio Parra,Patricio Muñoz,Jéssica López,Felipe Parra,Daniel Burton,Hugo Escobar

doi:10.3390/metabo10100414

Mario J Simirgiotis, Claudio Parra + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo10100414

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Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial properties of oregano (Origanum vulgare) essential oil, as well as its chemical composition. To our best knowledge, there are few studies on oregano grown in the arid Andes region, but none on the metabolites produced and their bioactivity. This work identified fifty metabolites by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)—monoterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes, phenolic monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and oxygenated sesquiterpenes—present in the essential oil of oregano collected in the Atacama Desert. The main components of essential oregano oil were thymol (15.9%), Z-sabinene hydrate (13.4%), γ-terpinene (10.6%), p-cymene (8.6%), linalyl acetate (7.2%), sabinene (6.5%), and carvacrol methyl ether (5.6%). The antibacterial tests showed that the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica and the phytopathogenic bacteria Erwinia rhapontici and Xanthomonas campestris were the most susceptible to oregano oil, with the lowest concentrations of oil necessary to inhibit their bacterial growth. Moreover, oregano oil showed antibacterial activity against bacteria associated with food poisoning. In conclusion, O. vulgare from the arid Andean region possesses an important antibacterial activity with a high potential in the food industry and agriculture.

Highlights

There is a growing interest in assessing the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of substances from natural sources that can potentially be used by the food and pharmaceutical industries.Essential oils from aromatic and medicinal plants have been known to possess biological activity [1,2].Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is an aromatic plant with a wide distribution throughout the Mediterranean area and Asia [3]
Some studies have reported the potential of oregano essential oil to preserve food such as salmon and seaweed burgers [18], fish, and meat products [19]
This work determined the chemical composition of the essential oil of Origanum vulgare grown in the arid Andean region (Putre, Chile)

Summary

Introduction

There is a growing interest in assessing the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of substances from natural sources that can potentially be used by the food and pharmaceutical industries.Essential oils from aromatic and medicinal plants have been known to possess biological activity [1,2].Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is an aromatic plant with a wide distribution throughout the Mediterranean area and Asia [3]. In the arid Andean region, this plant is cultivated between 2800 and 3500 m above sea level It produces a very aromatic spice with a specific quality or characteristics that are essentially due to the arid geographical environment [5,6,7]. This spice has long been used as a medicinal herb in ethnopharmacological preparations to treat various ailments such as respiratory disorders, dyspepsia, painful menstruation, rheumatoid arthritis, scrofulosis, and urinary tract disorders [8,9,10,11].

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