Chemical composition, antibacterial and antifungal activities of flowerhead and root essential oils of L., growing wild in Tunisia.

The antimicrobial properties of essential oil from various species have not been investigated enough in the previous studies dealing with the biological activities of medicinal plants. In Tunisia, L. (Asteraceae) is the only species recorded and is used as vermifuge and emmenagogue. The chemical composition, antibacterial and antifungal properties of essential oils from the flowerheads and roots of spontaneous growing in Tunisia and the chemical composition which leads to the Tunisian chemotype are investigated here for the first time. Essential oils isolated by hydro distillation from flowerheads and roots of were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Two methods served for antimicrobial assays of the essential oils: diffusion in a solid medium and micro-well dilution assay. Antifungal tests were carried out by the agar incorporation method. Sixty-seven constituents were identified from the essential oil of the flowerhead. The major constituents were: 1,8-cineole and -eudesmol. Two non identified compounds were present at the highest concentration in root oil. Flowerhead oil was characterized by high contents in monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes oxygenated compounds. The flowerhead essential oil demonstrated potent of antibacterial properties against ATCC and ATCC, with MIC of 0.625 μg/ml. These findings demonstrate that the flowerhead essential oils of have excellent antibacterial properties and for this reason they could contribute to decrease the problem of microbial resistance to antibiotics.