Evaluation of the hypoglycemic and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil of Myrtus nivellei from Tamanrasset (southern Algeria)

Abstract

The Myrtus nivellei Batt. & Trab. is a shrub native to the Mediterranean and endemic to the central Sahara in the Hoggar massif of southern Algeria, whose leaves are used by the Tuareg, in infusion mixed with tea, against diarrhea, fever, diabetes and for its anti-infective properties. The hypoglycemic activity of the essential oil extracted from the leaves by hydrodistillation. has been demonstrated, with a significant decrease (P<0.001) in blood sugar levels and blood triglyceride levels in diabetic rats after the 2nd hour and up to the 3rd hour of administration (14% and 22%). This drop in blood sugar was not observed in healthy rats treated with the essential oil. The essential oil did not improve the weight of the rats, nor their cholesterolemia. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil has been studied for six microorganisms. Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans are the most sensitive, they were inhibited from 2.5/1000 v/v. This oil is also active on Staphylococcus aureus at a concentration of 5/1000 v/v. This activity was weak against Escherichia coli and absent against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and no activity was detected against Enterococcus faecium. It would be interesting to combine these evaluations with chromatographic and spectral studies to determine the compounds responsible for these activities.