Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Phytotoxic Activities of Peganum harmala Seed Essential Oils from Five Different Localities in Northern Africa.

Ida Apostolico,Maroua Khadhr,Vincenzo De Feo,Filomena Nazzaro,Lucèia Souza,Luigi Aliberti,Florinda Fratianni,Lucia Caputo

doi:10.3390/molecules21091235

Abstract

Peganum harmala L., also known as Syrian rue or Pègano, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Zygohpyllaceae family, and is widely used in traditional medicine. The chemical composition of essential oils of P. harmala seeds from five different regions of Northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia) was studied by GC and GC-MS analyses. A total of 105 compounds were identified, the main components being oxygenated monoterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. Eugenol is the main component in all oils. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was assayed against some bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus (DSM 25693), Bacillus cereus (DSM 4313), Bacillus cereus (DSM4384), Escherichia coli (DMS 857) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 50071). All the oils showed different inhibitory activity. In the twentieth century this is an important result; we need possible new botanical drugs because the problem of resistance to antimicrobial drugs has become apparent. Moreover, the essential oils were evaluated for their possible in vitro phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radicle growth of Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., and Ruta graveolens L. The results showed that both germination and radical elongation were sensitive to the oils.

Highlights

Peganum harmala L., known as Syrian rue or Pègano, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Zygohpyllaceae family
In this paper we studied the composition of the essential oils from P. harmala seeds from five countries in Northern Africa and their possible antimicrobial and phytotoxic activities
Using the agar diffusion test, we evaluated the potential antimicrobial activity of the essential oils (EOs) obtained from P. harmala grown in the five countries of the Mediterranean area

Summary

Introduction

Peganum harmala L., known as Syrian rue or Pègano, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Zygohpyllaceae family. Mongolia, and is present in South-East Europe, including southern Italy (Puglia and Sardinia) in arid steppes and sides of roads [1]. The seed oil is marketed in Egypt as an aphrodisiac. Seeds and other parts of the plant were burned to produce a dense smoke during Zoroastrians rituals, and this use survives today. In Ladakh, India, the seeds of P. harmala are roasted and pulverized to obtain a fine powder, called techepakchiatzen, taken alone or smoked with tobacco to obtain narcotic effects [2]. In Iran, the smoke of its seeds is traditionally used as a disinfectant [3]. Different parts, including seeds, fruits, roots, Molecules 2016, 21, 1235; doi:10.3390/molecules21091235 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules

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