Thymus mastichina: Composition and Biological Properties with a Focus on Antimicrobial Activity

Abstract

Thymus mastichina has the appearance of a semishrub and can be found in jungles and rocky lands of the Iberian Peninsula. This work aimed to review and gather available scientific information on the composition and biological properties of T. mastichina. The main constituents of T. mastichina essential oil are 1,8-cineole (or eucalyptol) and linalool, while the extracts are characterized by the presence of flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenes. The essential oil and extracts of T. mastichina have demonstrated a wide diversity of biological activities. They showed antibacterial activity against several bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella subsp., methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes EGD, Bacillus cereus, and Pseudomonas, among others, and antifungal activity against Candida spp. and Fusarium spp. Additionally, it has antioxidant activity, which has been evaluated through different methods. Furthermore, other activities have also been studied, such as anticancer, antiviral, insecticidal, repellent, anti-Alzheimer, and anti-inflammatory activity. In conclusion, considering the biological activities reported for the essential oil and extracts of T. mastichina, its potential as a preservative agent could be explored to be used in the food, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical industries.

Chemical Characterization of Essential Oils With a Biocide Base for Conservation and Restoration

“…This value is higher than 0.04%, obtained by Vernin & Poite [22]. For Thymus mastichina the obtained yield was 3.76% (v/w) which is in accordance with the yields reported by other authors -from 0.4% to 6.90% (v/w) [23]. The yield obtained from Mentha pulegium was 4.27% (v/w).…”

“…These four major compounds correspond to 82.41% of total oil. The chemical composition obtained for the EOs of the analysed thyme is identical to that mentioned by Rodrigues et al [23], mainly for the leaves, leaves and flowers and aerial parts of the plants harvested in the flowering phase, at Algarve, where most of the samples exhibited 1,8-Cineole as the principal compound, representing about 50% of thyme EO composition.…”

The Therapeutic Potential of Ethnomedicinally Important Anatolian Thyme Species: A Phytochemical and Biological Assessment

“…, and Fusarium spp. ( Rodrigues et al, 2020 ). The nonpolar extracts of the aerial parts T. eigii were found to exert moderate antimicrobial activity, whereas polar extracts did not show any activity against a standard panel of pathogenic bacteria and fungi ( Tepe et al, 2004 ).…”

Antiviral Potential of Plants against Noroviruses

“…The antiviral activity of plant metabolites is the subject of many scientific studies [ 23 , 41 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 ,…”