Biological investigations of antioxidant, antimicrobial properties and chemical composition of essential oil from Warionia saharae

Abstract

Objective: Several aromatic plants and their essential oils are known to possess antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Warionia saharae Benth & Coss, an endemic species of North Africa, is traditionally used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and for gastrointestinal disorders. The aims of this study were to examine the chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from W.saharae, and to test the efficacy of the essential oil as a potential antimicrobial and antioxidant. Methods: The essential oil was investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-six compounds, accounting 96.8% of total oil with 1.1% oil yield were identified. The major compents of W.saharae essential oils were β-eudesmol (24.6%), trans-nerolidol (18.2%), linalool (16.8%), 1,8 cineole (6.2%), camphor (4.6%), p-cymene (3.7%) and terpinen-4-ol (3.6%). In this study, we analyzed biological activities of Warionia essential oil from Errachidia region, Morocco. Indeed, we investigated mainly, the antimicrobial activity against four referenced and representative human diseases health bacteria. Also this essential oil was tested against phytopathogenic fungi. Results: The results showed that W.saharae oil exhibited significant antibacterial and antifungal activities; with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging between 0.039 and 0.156 mg/ml for all bacteria and remarkable antifungal effect that exceeds 50% inhibition of mycelial growth for all fungal strains. We also checked whether this oil exhibited an antioxidant property via radical scavenging ability and antioxidant activity, determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and β-carotene bleaching test. Conclusion: Our results show an important antioxidant property for W.saharae essential oil.