Screening of Chemical Composition and Antifungal and Antioxidant Activities of the Essential Oils from Three Turkish Artemisia Species

Abstract

The compositions of essential oils isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia absinthium, Artemisia santonicum, and Artemisia spicigera by hydrodistillation were analyzed by GC-MS, and a total of 204 components were identified. The major components of these essential oils were camphor (34.9-1.4%), 1,8-cineole (9.5-1.5%), chamazulene (17.8-nd%), nuciferol propionate (5.1-nd%), nuciferol butanoate (8.2-nd%), caryophyllene oxide (4.3-1.7%), borneol (5.1-0.6%), alpha-terpineol (4.1-1.6%), spathulenol (3.7-1.3%), cubenol (4.2-0.1%), beta-eudesmol (7.2-0.6%), and terpinen-4-ol (3.5-1.2%). The antifungal activities of these essential oils were tested against 11 plant fungi and were compared with that of a commercial antifungal reagent, benomyl. The results showed that all of the oils have potent inhibitory effects at very broad spectrum against all of the tested fungi. Pure camphor and 1,8-cineole, which are the major components of the oils, were also tested for antifungal activity against the same fungal species. Unlike essential oils, these pure compounds were able to show antifungal activity against only some of the fungal species. In addition, the antioxidant and DPPH radical scavenging activities of the essential oils, camphor, and 1,8-cineole were determined in vitro. All of the studied essential oils showed antioxidant activity, but camphor and 1,8-cineole did not.

In vitro seed germination and biochemical profiling of Artemisia absinthium exposed to various metallic nanoparticles

“…This plant is a rich source of phenolics, flavonoids, terpenes and some other biologically active ingredients (Singh et al 2012). The stem and dry leaves of A. absinthium contain 0.25-1.32% essential oils, artemisinin, anabsin, artabsin, absinthin, matricin and anabsinthin (Kordali et al 2005). Traditionally, this plant species has been used due to trematocidal, vermifuge (Ferreira et al 2011), bitter, insecticidal (Anderson 1977), diuretic (Mohamed et al 2010) and against cough, common cold and diarrhoea (Hayat et al 2009).…”

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Potential of Artemisia arborescens L. Essential Oil

“…The genus Artemisia comprises more than 200 species, and some of them (A. absinthium, A. herba-alba, A. annua and A. vulgaris), which are traditionally used in many areas as medicines, seasoning items or basic ingredients for the manufacturing of liqueurs, have been targeted to many studies concerning their phytochemical features [31]. Many Artemisia species may be found in dry areas of the Northern hemisphere [28]; about 20 species have been detected in Italy, and only five of them grow wild in Sicily [40]. Amongst these, A. arborescens is a strongly smelling, morphologically variable species (or mixture of species), up to 150 cm height, erect, many-branched, tomentose and whitish, silvery and glabrous in the youngest parts, bearing at flowering time (June-July) many small yellow flowers.…”

Cytotoxic, anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant properties of the most frequent plant volatiles

“…The antifungal activity of EOs isolated from the aerial parts of some of the Artemisia genus species were tested against 11 different types of fungi plant. Their effects were compared with those of a commercial antifungal reagent benomyl [27]. The results showed that all of the EOs had, at a very broad spectrum, potent antifungal effects against all of the fungi tested.…”

“…Pinto et al [28] described similar results studying antifungal activity of the EO of Thymus pulegioides containing high amounts of carvacrol and thymol. The authors found that Combination of carvacrol and 1,8-cineole [25] Carvacrol, eugenol [26] EOs isolated from the aerial parts of some of the Artemisia genus species [27] EO of Thymus pulegioides containing high amounts of carvacrol and thymol [28] EO obtained from Thymus vulgaris L. [29] EOs obtained from aerial parts of aromatic plants such as oregano, thyme, lavender, rosemary, fennel and laurel containing carvacrol, borneol, camphor, anethole and 1,8-cineole [30] Thymol, carvacrol and the mixture of both these pure EOs [31] EO of Schizonepeta tenuifolia containing pulegone, menthone and limonene [32] Thymol, citronellal, eugenol and EO of rosemary [33] EOs isolated from Origanum vulgare L. and Thymus vulgaris L. [34] EOs isolated from traditional medicinal plants (Lippia sidoides, Lippia origanoides, Chenopodium ambrosidoides, Ocidum gratissimum, Justicia pectorals and Vitex agnus-castus) [35] EOs originated from genus Cymbopogon, Eucalyptus and Ocimum [36] the EO examined showed remarkable antifungal activity against clinically relevant fungi (e.g. Candida, Aspergillus) mainly due to lesion formation in the cytoplasmic membrane and a considerable reduction of the ergosterol content.…”