Abstract
The volatile constituents of the aerial parts of two samples of Thymus longicaulis C. Presl, collected in Campania and in Sicily, and two samples of Thymus pulegioides L. from the same regions, were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed. Considering the four oils together, seventy-eight different compounds were identified: 57 for Thymus longicaulis from Sicily (91.1% of the total oil), 40 for Thymus longicaulis from Campania (91.5% of the oil), 39 for Thymus pulegioides from Sicily (92.5% of the oil) and 29 for Thymus pulegioides from Campania (90.1% of the oil). The composition of the oils is different, although the most abundant components are identical in T. pulegioides. The essential oils showed antibacterial activity against eight selected microorganisms.
Highlights
Among the aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family, the genus Thymus is noteworthy for the numerous species and varieties of wild-growing plants
More than 20 essential oil chemotypes were noticed in different species of Thymus genus [6], but, on the other hand, different chemotypes can grow in the same habitat, so the study of this genus could be interesting [7]
As a continuation of our research on the oils of the Lamiaceae growing wild in Southern Italy [2021] and because of this variability of Thymus genus, we examine in this work the composition of the essential oils of Thymus longicaulis and Thymus pulegioides growing wild in two different regions of Southern Italy (Campania and Sicily) and their antimicrobial activity on eight selected microorganism
Summary
Among the aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family, the genus Thymus is noteworthy for the numerous species and varieties of wild-growing plants. The plants are extensively used, fresh and dried, as a culinary herb Their essential oils are utilized as flavour ingredients in a wide variety of food, beverage and confectionery products, as well as in perfumery for the scenting of soaps and lotions. Several reports have been published concerning the composition and/or the biological properties of Thymus essential oils These studies have emphasized the existence of marked chemical differences among oils extracted from different species or varieties. Presl is a species with long, somewhat woody, creeping branches, non flowering or with a terminal inflorescence [9] This species is important from the ethnobotanical point of view as a traditional medicinal plant [10,11]: it is reported as an antiseptic, an expectorant and a spasmolytic, properties probably correlated with the content of essential oils and flavonoids. As a continuation of our research on the oils of the Lamiaceae growing wild in Southern Italy [2021] and because of this variability of Thymus genus, we examine in this work the composition of the essential oils of Thymus longicaulis and Thymus pulegioides growing wild in two different regions of Southern Italy (Campania and Sicily) and their antimicrobial activity on eight selected microorganism
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