Fatty acids analysis, antioxidant, antimicrobial and biological activity of essential oil of Skimmia laureola Leaves

Abstract

The Western Himalayas in India treasures a trove of fragrant medicinal herbs that are natural antioxidants and antibacterial. The essential oil of Skimmia laureola from Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand is studied for its phytochemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities in order to develop novel natural medicines. The fresh leaves of Skimmia laureola were exposed to hydro-distillation and the mined essential oil was scrutinized using gas chromatography -mass spectrometric (GC-MS) techniques. The antioxidant effect was analyzed by DPPH method. The antibacterial activity was examined against pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia coli, Citrobacter brundii, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella typhimurium, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella enterica typhi, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus pyogenes by agar well diffusion method. The obtained oil yield was 0.72% v/w on fresh weight basis having 24 components. The main phytoactive components found in Skimmia laureola essential oil are Linalyl anthranilate (1, 6-Octadien-3-ol, 3, 7-dimethyl-, 2-aminobenzoate) (46.93%) and L-linalool (18.52%). The in vitro antioxidant study revealed concentration-dependent antioxidant activity with $${\text{I}\text{C}}_{50}$$ value. The extracted oil also revealed strong antibacterial action against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with the MIC of 6.25 mg ml−1 and ZOI of 19.00 mm for both. The antioxidant activity and sturdy antibacterial activity against bacteria like Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus might be owing to the presence of Linalyl anthranilate, L-linalool etc. having antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. Thus, Skimmia laureola essential oil possesses significant natural antioxidant and antibacterial properties, making it a safer choice for managing resistant bacterial infections.