Next Article in Journal
Chemical and Sensory Evaluation of Silicone and Polylactic Acid-Based Remedial Treatments for Elevated Methoxypyrazine Levels in Wine
Next Article in Special Issue
Chemical Composition and in Vitro Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, and Central Nervous System Activities of the Essential Oils of Citrus medica L. cv. ‘Liscia’ and C. medica cv. ‘Rugosa’ Cultivated in Southern Italy
Previous Article in Journal
Osimertinib (AZD9291), a Mutant-Selective EGFR Inhibitor, Reverses ABCB1-Mediated Drug Resistance in Cancer Cells
Previous Article in Special Issue
Elucidation of Differential Accumulation of 1-Phenylethanol in Flowers and Leaves of Tea (Camellia sinensis) Plants
Article

Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Phytotoxic Activities of Peganum harmala Seed Essential Oils from Five Different Localities in Northern Africa

1
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano (Salerno), Italy
2
Istituto di Scienze dell’Alimentazione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ISA-CNR), via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
3
Post-doctoral by National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development, (CNPq/Brazil), 70000-000 Brasília, Brazil
4
Unité de Recherche de Biochimie des Lipides et Principes Actifs des Plantes, 2092 Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Tunisa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Luca Forti
Molecules 2016, 21(9), 1235; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21091235
Received: 26 July 2016 / Revised: 2 September 2016 / Accepted: 12 September 2016 / Published: 15 September 2016
(This article belongs to the Collection Recent Advances in Flavors and Fragrances)
Peganum harmala L., also known as Syrian rue or Pègano, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Zygohpyllaceae family, and is widely used in traditional medicine. The chemical composition of essential oils of P. harmala seeds from five different regions of Northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia) was studied by GC and GC-MS analyses. A total of 105 compounds were identified, the main components being oxygenated monoterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. Eugenol is the main component in all oils. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was assayed against some bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus (DSM 25693), Bacillus cereus (DSM 4313), Bacillus cereus (DSM4384), Escherichia coli (DMS 857) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 50071). All the oils showed different inhibitory activity. In the twentieth century this is an important result; we need possible new botanical drugs because the problem of resistance to antimicrobial drugs has become apparent. Moreover, the essential oils were evaluated for their possible in vitro phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radicle growth of Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., and Ruta graveolens L. The results showed that both germination and radical elongation were sensitive to the oils. View Full-Text
Keywords: Peganum harmala; essential oil; antibacterial activity; phytotoxic activity Peganum harmala; essential oil; antibacterial activity; phytotoxic activity
Show Figures

Figure 1

MDPI and ACS Style

Apostolico, I.; Aliberti, L.; Caputo, L.; De Feo, V.; Fratianni, F.; Nazzaro, F.; Souza, L.F.; Khadhr, M. Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Phytotoxic Activities of Peganum harmala Seed Essential Oils from Five Different Localities in Northern Africa. Molecules 2016, 21, 1235. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21091235

AMA Style

Apostolico I, Aliberti L, Caputo L, De Feo V, Fratianni F, Nazzaro F, Souza LF, Khadhr M. Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Phytotoxic Activities of Peganum harmala Seed Essential Oils from Five Different Localities in Northern Africa. Molecules. 2016; 21(9):1235. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21091235

Chicago/Turabian Style

Apostolico, Ida, Luigi Aliberti, Lucia Caputo, Vincenzo De Feo, Florinda Fratianni, Filomena Nazzaro, Lucèia F. Souza, and Maroua Khadhr. 2016. "Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Phytotoxic Activities of Peganum harmala Seed Essential Oils from Five Different Localities in Northern Africa" Molecules 21, no. 9: 1235. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21091235

Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Access Map by Country/Region

1
Back to TopTop