Chemical Composition and Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Origanum compactum Benth Essential Oils from Two Regions: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence and In Silico Molecular Investigations

Abstract

The purposes of this investigatory study were to determine the chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) of Origanum compactum from two Moroccan regions (Boulemane and Taounate), as well as the evaluation of their biological effects. Determining EOs’ chemical composition was performed by a gas chromatography–mass spectrophotometer (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity of EOs was evaluated using free radical scavenging ability (DPPH method), fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and lipid peroxidation inhibition assays. The anti-inflammatory effect was assessed in vitro using the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibition test and in vivo using the carrageenan-induced paw edema model. Finally, the antibacterial effect was evaluated against several strains using the disk-diffusion assay and the micro-dilution method. The chemical constituent of O. compactum EO (OCEO) from the Boulemane zone is dominated by carvacrol (45.80%), thymol (18.86%), and α-pinene (13.43%). However, OCEO from the Taounate zone is rich in 3-carene (19.56%), thymol (12.98%), and o-cymene (11.16%). OCEO from Taounate showed higher antioxidant activity than EO from Boulemane. Nevertheless, EO from Boulemane considerably inhibited 5-LOX (IC50 = 0.68 ± 0.02 µg/mL) compared to EO from Taounate (IC50 = 1.33 ± 0.01 µg/mL). A similar result was obtained for tyrosinase inhibition with Boulemane EO and Taounate EO, which gave IC50s of 27.51 ± 0.03 μg/mL and 41.83 ± 0.01 μg/mL, respectively. The in vivo anti-inflammatory test showed promising effects; both EOs inhibit and reduce inflammation in mice. For antibacterial activity, both EOs were found to be significantly active against all strains tested in the disk-diffusion test, but O. compactum EO from the Boulemane region showed the highest activity. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) for O. compactum EO from the Boulemane region ranged from 0.06 to 0.25% (v/v) and from 0.15 to 0.21% (v/v) for O. compactum from the Taounate region. The MBC/MIC index revealed that both EOs exhibited remarkable bactericidal effects.

Citral-Enriched Fraction of Lemon Essential Oil Mitigates LPS-Induced Hepatocyte Injuries

“…The interest of the nutraceutical industry is focused on discovering natural compounds that possess both biological and organoleptic properties, thus introducing "smart food" that can be included in a health-promoting diet. Medicinal plants and their derivatives such as essential oils contain a wide variety of bioactive compounds that possess beneficial properties such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities [31,32]. It is known that several essential oils obtained from different plants have hepatoprotective effects contrasting the pro-inflammatory, pro-oxidant, and pro-fibrotic activities of hepatotoxic molecules [13,14].…”

Origanum minutiflorum O. Schwarz et P. H. Davis essential oil: enzyme inhibitory activities and chemical composition.

“…The LOX-5 inhibitory activity of the EO was calculated within the range IC50 = 0.68 ± 0.02 -1.33 ± 0.01 µg/mL. Besides, EO diminished the inflammation in the mice [52]. In a previous study, Demirci et al [53] observed the potential inhibitory effect of the commercial EOs belonging to Origanum ssp.…”

Carvacrol and Thymol Content Affects the Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Origanum compactum and Thymus zygis Essential Oils

“…Also, O. compactum essential oils sampled from Boulemane and Taounate were evaluated using the disc diffusion test, and they were very active against E. coli, B. subtilis, S. aureus, and L innocua strains. Moreover, the samples collected from Boulemane region showed the uppermost activity due to their highest composition of carvacrol, 45.80% [46].…”

“…Actually, the EC50 value for OCEO was around 2.25 ± 0.11 mg/mL compared to 0.031 ± 0.001 mg/mL found for ascorbic acid (Table 2). Al Mijjali et al [46] noticed a higher antioxidant power with an EC50 of 0.19 ± 0.03 mg/mL and 0.25 ± 0.04 mg/mL for essential oils extracted from O. compactum collected from two different regions in Morocco (Boulemane and Taounate). As for TZEO, the antioxidant power was 2.16 ± 0.13 mg/mL, which was feeble compared to the ascorbic acid's antioxidant power.…”