Abstract
Leucas virgata Balf.f. (Lamiaceae) was collected from the Island Soqotra (Yemen) and its essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation. The chemical composition of the oil was investigated by GC and GC-MS. Moreover, the essential oil was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria, two Gram-negative bacteria, and one yeast species by using broth micro-dilution assay for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and antioxidant activity by measuring the scavenging activity of the DPPH radical. The investigation led to the identification of 43 constituents, representing 93.9% of the total oil. The essential oil of L. virgata was characterized by a high content of oxygenated monoterpenes (50.8%). Camphor (20.5%) exo-fenchol (3.4%), fenchon (5.4%), and borneol (3.1%) were identified as the main components. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes were found as the second major group of compounds (21.0%). β-Eudesmol (6.1%) and caryophyllene oxide (5.1%) were the major compounds among oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The results of the antimicrobial assay showed that the oil exhibited a great antibacterial activity against the tested S. aureus, B. subtilis, and E. coli. No activity was found against P. aeruginosa and C. albicans. Moreover, the DPPH-radical scavenging assay exhibited only a moderate antioxidant activity (31%) for the oil at the highest concentration tested (1 mg/mL).
Highlights
Aromatic plants are frequently used in traditional medicine because of their essential oils and volatile constituents
As essential oils represent a source of antimicrobial, antioxidants and anticancer components, they are currently attracting increasing interest in the scientific community and there is much research being performed on their pharmacological activities, their antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties, which are important in the prevention and treatment of diseases of microbial and oxidative stress origin, such as bacterial and viral infections, inflammations, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and thrombosis [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]
The essential oil of the aerial part of L. virgata obtained after hydrodistillation was colorless and possessed an aromatic odor
Summary
Aromatic plants are frequently used in traditional medicine because of their essential oils and volatile constituents. There has been an increase in the use of aromatic medicinal plants and their essential oils in scientific research and industrial applications including nutritional, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic uses [1,2,3,4]. As essential oils represent a source of antimicrobial, antioxidants and anticancer components, they are currently attracting increasing interest in the scientific community and there is much research being performed on their pharmacological activities, their antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties, which are important in the prevention and treatment of diseases of microbial and oxidative stress origin, such as bacterial and viral infections, inflammations, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and thrombosis [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]. Surveys have revealed that more than a third of the 800 or so plant species of Soqotra are found nowhere else [20]
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