Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil of different parts of Seseli rigidum.

The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of the Balkan endemic species Seseli rigidum Waldst. & Kit. (Apiaceae) was investigated. The monoterpene alpha-pinene was predominant in the volatile oil from aerial parts (57.4%) and fruit (23.3%). In the essential oil of the aerial parts limonene (6.7%), camphene (5.8%) and sabinene (5.5%) were also present in high amounts, and in the fruit oil, beta-phellandrene (17.4%) and sabinene (12.9%). On the contrary, the root essential oil was composed almost entirely of the polyacetylene falcarinol (88.8%). The antimicrobial activity of the root essential oil was significant against Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus and Enterococcus faecalis (MICs 6.25-25.00 microg/mL). Volatile constituents from the root strongly inhibited the growth of methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (MICs 6.25-50.00 microg/mL). Anti-staphylococcal activity can be attributed to the main volatile constituent ofS. rigidum root, falcarinol.