Abstract
Tulbaghia violacea Harv L.F. is one of the many medicinal plants used by Zulu traditional healers to treat respiratory tract diseases. Essential oil extracted from the rhizomes of T. violacea was evaluated for its chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the oils revealed the main constituents of the essential oils of T. violacea to be 2,4-dithiapentane (51.04%), ρ-xylene (20.59%), chloromethylmethyl sulfide (8.69%), σ-xylene (7.38%), thiodiglycol (6.43%) and ρ-xylol (5.88%). While the oil showed weak antioxidant activity, the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil carried out on both Gram positive and negative bacteria (using the agar disk diffusion method) showed that the oil of T. violacea was effective against 8 of the 16 microorganisms tested, with MIC values ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 mg/ml. The oil had low (1218 and 1641 µg/ml) cytotoxicity levels against HEK293 and HepG2 cell lines, respectively. It is apparent that the bioactivity of the essential oil of T. violacea contributes to the use of this plant in folk medicine. Key words: Essential oil, antioxidant, antibacterial, Tulbaghia violacea.
Highlights
There is an increasing worldwide attempt to screen plants for the biological activities of their oils, from chemical and pharmacological investigations to therapeutic aspects (Sonbolia et al, 2005; Skaltsa et al, 2003; Tzakou and Skaltsa, 2003)
Essential oil extracted from the rhizomes of T. violacea was evaluated for its chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities
The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the oils revealed the main constituents of the essential oils of T. violacea to be 2,4-dithiapentane (51.04%), ρ-xylene (20.59%), chloromethylmethyl sulfide (8.69%), σxylene (7.38%), thiodiglycol (6.43%) and ρ-xylol (5.88%)
Summary
Antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the essential oils of Tulbaghia violacea. Tulbaghia violacea Harv L.F. is one of the many medicinal plants used by Zulu traditional healers to treat respiratory tract diseases. Essential oil extracted from the rhizomes of T. violacea was evaluated for its chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. While the oil showed weak antioxidant activity, the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil carried out on both Gram positive and negative bacteria (using the agar disk diffusion method) showed that the oil of T. violacea was effective against 8 of the 16 microorganisms tested, with MIC values ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 mg/ml. It is apparent that the bioactivity of the essential oil of T. violacea contributes to the use of this plant in folk medicine
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
