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Abstract

Thymus vulgaris has a chemical polymorphism with six different chemotypes that show marked spatial segregation in nature. Although some populations have a single chemotype in majority, many have two or three chemotypes. In this study we analyze the quantitative variation among T. vulgaris populations in the percentage of oil composed of the dominant monoterpene(s) for each chemotype. In general, phenolic chemotypes (thymol and carvacrol), which occur at the end of the biosynthetic chain, have a significantly lower proportion of their oil composed of their dominant monoterpene than nonphenolic chemotypes (geraniol, alpha-terpineol, and linalool). This is due to the presence of high amounts of precursors (gamma-terpinene and paracymene) in the oil of phenolic chemotypes. The essential oil of the nonphenolic thuyanol chemotype has four characteristic monoterpenes that together make up a lower proportion of the oil than the single dominant monoterpene of the other nonphenolic chemotypes. For all chemotypes, the percentage composition of the dominant monoterpene decreased significantly at sites where the chemotype is not the majority type. This decrease is correlated with a significant increase in either the proportion of the two precursors for the thymol chemotype or the monoterpenes characteristic of the other chemotypes at the site. The latter result suggests that a plant with dominant genes is responsible for the production of different monoterpenes can produce several molecules.

Phytochemical and Morphological Characterization of Satureja khuzistanicaJamzad Populations from Iran

“…hirtum from different localities in Greece was influenced by the climates thermal efficiency, i.e., the hotter the climate, the higher the concentration of the phenols [22]. The presence of phenolic chemotypes in Thymus species has also been reported to be associated with xeric climate conditions, lower altitude, and calcareous habitats [28] [29]. In the present study, carvacrol was found as the principal component in the essential oil of all the analyzed populations.…”

Antibacterial and Antifungal Effects of Essential Oils from Coniferous Trees

“…The compositions of essential oils depend on the plant species, chemotypes, and climatic conditions. 8) These oils have been demonstrated to have antimicrobial activity, even though their effect against bacteria was not weak. In the present study, treatment with the essential oil from P. densiflora inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenes (45.9-50% vs. control), S. aureus (66.7-77.8% vs. control), and K. pneumoniae (40% vs. control), while the essential oil from P. koraiensis only had antifungal activity against C. albicans (28.9-31.5% vs. control).…”

Evaluation of Thymus vulgaris Extract on Hippocampal Injury Induced by Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia and Reperfusion in Rat

“…Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has been used in traditional medicine for centuries and recorded in world major pharmacopoeia as an effective herbal medicine [12]. The leaves of this plant contain 1% -2.5% essential oil.…”