Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Cytotoxicity, and Hemolyses Activity of Essential Oils from Flower of Matricaria chamomilla var. Chamomilla

Abstract

Introduction:In this research, we have reported the chemical composition and bioactivity of the essential oil from flowers of Matricaria chamomilla var. Chamomilla (MCCO) for the first time. The essential oil was extracted using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The chemical composition of the essential oil was identified by chromatography methods. DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity (RSA), β-carotene bleaching (BCB), and Ferrous Ion Chelating ability (FIC) were chosen to evaluate the MCCO antioxidant activity. Disc diffusion assay and Mínimum Inhibitory Concentration method (MIC) were selected to investigate antibacterial activity of MCCO. Hemolytic activity of MCCO on Red Blood Cells (RBCs) was measured through optical density.Methods:MTT method was used to determine the cytotoxicity effects of MCCO on human cáncer cells. MCCO was dominated byoxygenated sesquiterpenes (59.01%). α-Bisabolone oxide A (35.74%), α- bisabolol oxide A (19.07%), (Z)-β-farnesene (6.63%), and chamazulene (6.46%)wasfound as themajorcomponents oftheessentialoil. The oil represented an acceptable antioxidant activity. For antibacterial activity, MCCO prevented the growth of all selected microorganisms. The oil can be considered as a strong antibacterial agent as well as anantioxidant.Results:MCCO showed a low hemolytic rate (below 1.5%) on RBCs. The safety of MCCO as a food additive or other uses was suggested by the hemolysis result.Conclusions:MCCO was identified as a weak agent in the cytotoxicity assay.