Abstract
Background The investigation of volatile oils used in traditional medicine is vital to enhance the quality of healthcare. This study is aimed at screening the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Micromeria fruticosa serpyllifolia volatile oils from three different regions in Palestine (north, middle, and south). Methods Volatile oils of three samples of M. fruticosa serpyllifolia were extracted using the microwave-ultrasonic apparatus. The antioxidant activity of the volatile oils was assessed by inhibition of DPPH free radical. The antimicrobial activity was examined using the broth microdilution method. Assessment of antifungal activity was achieved using the agar dilution method. Results Screening the biological activity of plant extracts revealed that the sample from Ramallah (middle region) possessed the most potent antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 0.45 μg/mL. The three samples exhibited broad antimicrobial activity and showed potential antifungal activity. The sample from the southern region showed the highest potency against Shigella sonnei with the lowest reported MIC; the sample from the northern region demonstrated the least potency against clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus and “methicillin”-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusions The study showed that Micromeria fruticosa serpyllifolia volatile oil samples from different regions in Palestine possess different potential antioxidant and antimicrobial activities that were in line with traditional uses of the plant extracts.
Highlights
The investigation of volatile oils used in traditional medicine is vital to enhance the quality of healthcare
Many scientific investigations reported that the chemical composition, total yield, and the aroma of Volatile oils (VOs) may be different due to growing conditions, plant age, geoclimatic location, and environmental conditions of collection time and site [8]
The aims of this study were to screen antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of M. fruticosa serpyllifolia collected from three different regions of West Bank, Palestine
Summary
The investigation of volatile oils used in traditional medicine is vital to enhance the quality of healthcare. This study is aimed at screening the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Micromeria fruticosa serpyllifolia volatile oils from three different regions in Palestine (north, middle, and south). The antioxidant activity of the volatile oils was assessed by inhibition of DPPH free radical. Screening the biological activity of plant extracts revealed that the sample from Ramallah (middle region) possessed the most potent antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 0.45 μg/mL. The study showed that Micromeria fruticosa serpyllifolia volatile oil samples from different regions in Palestine possess different potential antioxidant and antimicrobial activities that were in line with traditional uses of the plant extracts. Volatile oils (VOs) have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anthelmintic, antimalarial, antiviral, antibacterial, cholesterol inhibition, and insecticide activities [1, 2]. Many scientific investigations reported that the chemical composition, total yield, and the aroma of VOs may be different due to growing conditions (climate, type of soil and BioMed Research International composition, and altitude), plant age, geoclimatic location, and environmental conditions of collection time and site [8]
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