Abstract
As part of our ongoing research on phytoconstituents that can act as promising antimicrobial agents, the essential oils of nine selected Apiaceae plants, cultivated in Poland, were studied. The volatiles of the aerial parts with fruits (herba cum fructi) of Silaum silaus, Seseli devenyense, Seseli libanotis,Ferula assa-foetida, Glehnia littoralis and Heracleum dulce, in addition to the fruits (fructi) of Torilis japonica and Orlaya grandiflora as well as of the aerial parts (herba) of Peucedanum luxurians were investigated through Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry to identify more than 60 different metabolites. The essential oils from S. devenyense, H. dulce, T. japonica and P. luxurians are reported for the first time. All examined species were also assayed for their antimicrobial activities against several human pathogenic Gram-positive and -negative bacteria and fungi. The species H. dulce, S. devenyense and S. libanotis exerted the strongest antimicrobial activity, mostly against Gram-positive bacteria strains (MIC values 0.90–1.20 mg/mL). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to determine the antimicrobial activity of the above Apiaceae species.
Highlights
IntroductionEssential oils are complex mixtures of natural volatiles, characterized by a strong odor and formed by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites
Aromatic plants and their essential oils have been used therapeutically for centuries, while many scientific studies are conducted, describing their remarkable healing properties.Essential oils are complex mixtures of natural volatiles, characterized by a strong odor and formed by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites
The analyses of the essential oils of nine selected Apiaceae plants, all of them cultivated in Poland, resulted to some new data for Seseli devenyense, Heracleum dulce, Torillis japonica and Peucedanum luxurians as they have never been studied before for their volatiles
Summary
Essential oils are complex mixtures of natural volatiles, characterized by a strong odor and formed by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites. They are proven to exert antimicrobial activity against a large number of bacteria and fungi [1]. Apiaceae is considered as one of the most important plant family, including 3780 species and 434 genera [2]. They are mainly distributed in the Mediterranean basin with high economic importance for the food and cosmetic industry [3]. They have shown antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, and they are considered as promising sources of bioactive agents [5,6,7,8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
