The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Artemisia judaica L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso. and Artemisia arborescens L. (cultivated) from Libya, were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The antimicrobial properties were determined using the broth microdilution method against eight bacterial species: Bacillus cereus (clinical isolate), Micrococcus flavus (ATCC10240), Listeria monocytogenes (NCTC7973), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC6538), Escherichia coli (ATCC35210), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC27853), Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC13311), Enterobacter cloacae (human isolates) and eight fungal species: Aspergillus niger (ATCC6275), A. ochraceus (ATCC12066), A. versicolor (ATCC11730), A. fumigatus (ATCC1022), Penicillium ochrochloron (ATCC9112), P. funiculosum (ATCC10509), Trichoderma viride (IAM5061) and Candida albicans (human isolate). The major constituents of A. arborescens oil were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (47.4%). Oxygenated monoterpenes were the dominant constituents in the A. judaica and A. herba-alba oils (54.2% and 77.3%, respectively). Camphor (24.7%) and chamazulene (20.9%) were the major components in the essential oil of A. arborescens, chrysanthenone (20.8%), cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (17.6%) and cis-thujone (13.6%) dominated in the A. herba-alba oil, and the major constituents in the A. judaica oil were piperitone (30.21%) and cis-chrysanthenol (9.1%). The best antimicrobial activity was obtained for A. judaica oil and the lowest effect was noticed in A. arborescens oil. The effect of the tested oils was higher against Gram (+) than Gram (-) bacteria. All three oils showed the best antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and the lowest against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, compared to streptomycin and ampicillin. All three oils showed better antifungal activities than ketoconazole, except A. arborescens oil against Aspergillus niger. [Projekat Ministarstv nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173029 and Grant No. 173032]

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Essential oils from leaves with young branches of Cotinus coggygria Scop. from two localities in Serbia (Deliblatska pescara and Zemun), obtained by hydrodistillation, were analyzed by GC-MS. Thirty-one component were identified from both oils and among them monoterpenic hydrocarbons were the dominant class (87.4 and 93.1 %). The dominant constituent in both essential oils was limonene (47.0 and 39.2 %). Both oils were also tested for antibacterial and antifungal activities. In comparison to streptomycin, both oils showed slightly higher activity (against most Gram-positive bacteria) in the disc diffusion method and slightly lower activity when the microdilution method was employed. They also exhibited antifungal potential higher than that of the commercial fungicide bifonazole.

The composition of essential oil isolated from Salvia fruticosa, wild growing in Libya, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Forty-five compounds could be identified. The essential oil contained 1,8-cineole (49.34%), camphor (7.53%), β-pinene (7.38%), myrcene (7.38%), α-pinene (5.15%), β-caryophyllene (4.13%) and α-terpineol (3.25). Antioxidant activity was analyzed using the DPP H free radical scavenging method and low antioxidant activity was found (IC50 = 15.53 mg/ml). The oil was also screened for its antimicrobial activity against eight bacteria (four Gram-negative and four Gram-positive) and eight fungi. The essential oil of S. fruticosa showed minimal inhibitory activity (MIC) at 0.125-1.5 mg/ml and bactericidal (MBC) at 0.5-2.0 mg/ml. In addition, it exhibited fungistatic (MIC) at 0.125-1.0 mg/ml and fungicidal effect (MFC) at 0.125-1.5 mg/ml. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173029 and br. 173032

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The composition of the epicuticular n-alkanes isolated from the leaves of ten populations of Juniperus communis L. var. saxatilis Pallas from central (continental) and western (coastal) areas of the Balkan Peninsula was characterized by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. In the leaf waxes, 14 n-alkane homologues with chain-lengths ranging from C22 to C35 were identified. All samples were dominated by n-tritriacontane (C33 ), but differences in two other dominant n-alkanes allowed separating the coastal from the continental populations. Several statistical methods (ANOVA, principal component, discriminant, and cluster analyses as well as the Mantel test) were deployed to analyze the diversity and variability of the epicuticular-leaf-n-alkane patterns of the ten natural populations of J. communis var. saxatilis and their relation to different geographic and bioclimatic parameters. Cluster analysis showed a high correlation of the leaf-n-alkane patterns with the geographical distribution of the investigated samples, differentiating the coastal from the continental populations of this taxon. Several bioclimatic parameters related to aridity were highly correlated with this differentiation.