<p><strong>Objective: </strong><em>Thymus satureioides</em> is a well-known aromatic perennial shrub widely used throughout the Mediterranean basin as a culinary herb, in traditional medicine for the treatment of a variety of diseases, and as a natural preservative ingredient in the food industry. The aim of this study was to analyze the chemical composition of <em>T. Satureioides</em> essential oil and to assess its antibacterial and antioxidant activities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The chemical composition of the essential oil was investigated by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil was evaluated for its antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using agar diffusion method and macro-broth dilution. The antioxidant activity was tested by three different methods, namely DPPH free radical scavenging, β-carotene/linoleic acid and TBARS assays.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty compounds were identified, representing 85.52% of the total composition of this essential oil. Borneol (26.45%) and thymol (11.24%) were the major components. The oil had a bactericidal activity against all tested bacteria, with the exception of <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>. In addition, the <em>T. satureioides</em> essential oil revealed strong antioxidant activity in all conducted assays.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings suggest that essential oil of <em>T. satureioides</em> may be used as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics and antioxidants.</p>

Objective: Essential oils with antimicrobial and antioxidant activities have gained importance. This study was conducted to investigate the genotoxic potential of the essential oil of Origanum compactum.Methods: Micronucleus test and proliferation index (PI) were used to evaluate the genotoxic effect of the essential oil of O. compactum on human lymphocytes. Results:The results demonstrated that the PI values were influenced by the tested essential oil. An increase in concentration of essential oil also caused the appearance of micronuclei. Conclusion:The results of the present work suggest that O. compactum essential oil exhibited genotoxic activity at higher concentration. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

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Abstract:The present study depicts the therapeutic effect of Zygophyllum cornutum methanolic extract (ZCME) on metabolic disturbances, oxidative stress in heart and myocardium histological changes in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Three days after diabetes induction, ZCME was administered orally for six weeks (700 mg/kg bw/day). Serum glucose and lipid profile were evaluated. Reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured in heart tissue. The results showed increased levels of blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) in the diabetic rats. On the other hand, the level of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased. Compared to the control normal rats, the level of TBARS in heart tissue was markedly increased while GSH and CAT were significantly modified in the diabetic rats. Oral administration of ZCME has normalized serum glucose and lipid profile. TBARS were significantly reduced in heart while CAT and GSH were markedly normalized. Myocardium sections showed the absence of histological changes observed in the diabetic rats. The study suggests that Zygophyllum cornutum may provide a useful therapeutic option in the reversal of metabolic disturbances and oxidative stress-induced cardiac dysfunction in diabetes mellitus.