Abstract
In this study, the chemical composition and the antioxidant and antifungal activities of essential oil from Laurus nobilis flowers were examined. The essential oil was prepared using steam distillation in a modified Clevenger-type apparatus. The chemical composition of the obtained essential oil and chemotypes was determined using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Twenty-five volatile compounds were identified, which made up 92.07% of the total essential oil content. The essential oil yield was 1.06% and the most abundant compounds were 1.8-cineole (45.01%), α-caryophyllene (7.54%), germacradienol (6.13%), limonene (4.69%), α-pinene (3.04%), and germacrene D (3.14%). The antifungal activity of the obtained essential oil was tested against seven fungal strains: Aspergillus clavatus, A. niger, Chaetomium globosum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Myrothecium verrucaria, Penicillium citrinum, and Trichoderma viride. The results indicated that essential oil from L. nobilis flowers exhibited significant antifungal activity against the tested fungal strains with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.05 to 0.46 mg/mL. The essential oil of L. nobilis also exhibited strong total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as indicated by its ability to scavenge free radical DPPH. Taken together, this study indicates that the essential oil from L. nobilis flowers possesses significant antifungal and antioxidant activities, possibly due to the high level of 1,8-cineole.
Highlights
Herbs and spices have been used for generations, not as food ingredients and to treat a plethora of ailments and, in recent times, scientific data are accumulating that demonstrate, for many spices and related essential oils, medicinal properties useful in the prevention of diseases or the relief of their symptoms
Phytochemical Analysis. e constituents of essential oil L. nobilis flowers are listed in order of their elution on the CP-Sil 5CB column (Figure 1). e yield of the obtained essential oil was 1.06% and contained 25 compounds, which made up 92.07% of the total essential oil. e most abundant constituents were 1.8-cineole (45.01%), α-caryophyllene (7.54%), germacradienol (6.13%), limonene (4.69%), α-pinene (3.04%), and germacrene D (3.14%) (Table 1)
E disc diffusion assay indicated that the inhibition zone of the essential oil ranged between 6.05 mm and 19.25 mm, depending on the fungal strain tested. e strongest inhibition zone was observed for A. clavatus followed by A. niger and C. globosum, indicating the sensitivity of these strains to the essential oil from L. nobilis flowers. e minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) values obtained for these strains were 0.05, 0.14, and 0.18 mg/mL, respectively. e other fungal strains tested were sensitive to the essential but to a lesser extent
Summary
Herbs and spices have been used for generations, not as food ingredients and to treat a plethora of ailments and, in recent times, scientific data are accumulating that demonstrate, for many spices and related essential oils, medicinal properties useful in the prevention of diseases or the relief of their symptoms. Many natural compounds extracted from plants have demonstrated biological activities, notably antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. Laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) is a plant native to the southern Mediterranean region. It is an evergreen tree cultivated in many warm regions of the world, in the Mediterranean countries (Turkey, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco). In Europe and the USA, L. nobilis is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant [3]. E leaves of L. nobilis have been used to treat Neuralgia and Parkinsonism [5], while the essential oil obtained from the leaves of this plant Essential oils are valuable natural products used as raw materials in perfumes, cosmetics, aromatherapy, phytotherapy, spices, and nutrition [4]. e leaves of L. nobilis have been used to treat Neuralgia and Parkinsonism [5], while the essential oil obtained from the leaves of this plant
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