Abstract
The present study describes radical scavenging capacity (RSC), antimutagenic and antibacterial properties of the essential oil (EO) of the leaves of Eucalyptus gunnii Hook. (Southern Montenegro). Chemical composition was evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In oil, 1,8-cineole (67.8%) and α-pinene (14.12%) were the major compounds comprising almost 82% of total EO. EO exhibited moderate DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging activity, with IC50 value of 7.19 µL/mL. The antimutagenic properties were assayed against the spontaneous and t-BOOH-induced mutagenesis in Escherichia coli IC202 oxyR mutant strain, deficient in removing radical oxygen species (ROS). Reduction of the spontaneous mutagenesis in the presence of E. gunnii EO was only slight, up to 12% at the highest concentration tested. However, when the oxidative mutagen was used, EO displayed more significant reduction of mutagenesis (maximum 23%) in a concentration dependent manner. Antibacterial activity was tested against the selected strains from ATTC and NCIB collections: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus flavus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and the two Escherichia coli strains from our laboratory collection (SY252 and IB112) using both the disk-diffusion and MIC assays. The greatest sensitivity was shown by M. flavus, K. pneumoniae and E. coli lpcA (MIC = 0.83 mg/mL), while the highest resistance was shown by E. coli (ATTC 25922) and S. epidermidis. This study represents the first report on chemical composition and biological activity of the Eucalyptus gunnii in the South Balkan region and beyond.
Highlights
Many aromatic plants and spices are well-known for their various beneficial effects on human health
The results obtained indicate that E. gunnii essential oil has a substantial protective activity against oxidant-induced mutagenesis, which is predominantly mediated by their radical scavenging activity
The results show that the highest sensitivity to E. gunni essential oil was demonstrated by M. flavus, K. pneumoniae, and E. coli lpcA, where the minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) was 0.83 mg/mL, while the highest resistance was shown by S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli SY252, where the MIC was 1.66 μL/mL, and S. epidermidis, where the MIC was 3.32 mg/mL
Summary
Many aromatic plants and spices are well-known for their various beneficial effects on human health Their use in phytotherapy is mostly related to different activities of their essential oils, such as antimicrobial, spasmolytic, carminative, antiviral, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, etc. Many spices and essential oils are widely used in the food industry to improve flavor and organoleptic properties, and to slow the process of deterioration of foodstuffs. The latter is mainly due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities [3,4]. No information about the chemical composition and biological activity of the eucalyptus species in Montenegro had been published prior to initiating the study of Eucaliptus camaldulensis [10]. The present study was undertaken to investigate essential oil composition, as well as antioxidant, antimutagenic and antibacterial properties of E. gunni from Montenegro
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