Volatiles and Antifungal-Antibacterial-Antiviral Activity of South African Salvia spp. Essential Oils Cultivated in Uniform Conditions.

Basma Najar,Francesca Mancianti,Valentina Virginia Ebani,Giulia Mecacci,Valeria Nardi,Luisa Pistelli,Simone Giannecchini,Claudio Cervelli,Simona Nardoni

doi:10.3390/molecules26092826

Basma Najar, Francesca Mancianti + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092826

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Abstract

Spontaneous emissions of S. dentata Aiton and S. scabra Thunb., as well as the essential oil (EO) composition of the cited species, together with S. aurea L., were investigated. The chemical profile of the first two species is reported here for the first time. Moreover, in vitro tests were performed to evaluate the antifungal activity of these EOs on Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Fusarium solani. Secondly, the EO antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus pseudointermedius was examined, and their antiviral efficacy against the H1N1 influenza virus was assessed. Leaf volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as the EOs obtained from the arial part of Salvia scabra, were characterized by a high percentage of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (97.8% and 76.6%, respectively), mostly represented by an equal amount of germacrene D (32.8% and 32.7%, respectively). Both leaf and flower spontaneous emissions of S. dentata, as well as the EO composition, showed a prevalence of monoterpenes divided into a more or less equal amount of hydrocarbon and oxygenated compounds. Interestingly, its EO had a non-negligible percentage of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (29.5%). S. aurea EO, on the contrary, was rich in sesquiterpenes, both hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds (41.5% and 33.5%, respectively). S. dentata EO showed good efficacy (Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC): 0.5%) against M. canis. The tested EOs were not active against E. coli and S. aureus, whereas a low inhibition of S. dentata EO was observed on S. pseudointermedius (MIC = 10%). Once again, S. dentata EO showed a very good H1N1 inhibition; contrariwise, S. aurea EO was completely inactive against this virus. The low quantity of S. scabra EO made it impossible to test its biological activity. S. dentata EO exhibited interesting new perspectives for medicinal and industrial uses.

Highlights

Throughout the world, thousands of people are affected by dermatophyte infections which constitute the most common skin diseases
S. dentata and S. scabra, (57.9% and 53.1%, respectively), with three compounds found in common: 1,8-cineole (24.7% in S. dentata and 14.3% in S. scabra), camphor
S. scabra flowers were characterized by a significant percentage of diterpene hydrocarbons (20.4%), of which cembrene (14.4%) and isopimara-9(11),15-diene (6.0%) showed the highest amount, together with oxygenated sesquiterpenes (13.8%), with nuciferol acetate (13.0%) as the most abundant compound

Summary

Introduction

Throughout the world, thousands of people are affected by dermatophyte infections which constitute the most common skin diseases. Staphylococcus aureus is considered the most common bacterial cause of skin problems and soft-tissue infections, as well as nosocomial bacteremia, in America and Europe [3], which colonizes in 20–30% of the human population [4], as well as livestock and domestic animals [5,6]. Another bacterium found in the nasal flora and skin of healthy dogs and cats is S. pseudointermedius. Escherichia coli is another bacterium frequently involved in human and animal infections causing diseases with different degrees of severity [9]

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