Background:
Traditionally, The Algerian medicinal plant Elaeosilenum thapsioides have been used for many diseases.
Objective:
The present research work is aimed to explore the chemical and biological characterization of essential oil of, Elaeoselinum thapsioides (Desf.) Maire.
Methods :
The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation of different Elaeosilenum thapsioides (Apiaceae) aerial parts samples collected from two different regions (Mahouane and Megres) Setif, Eastern Algeria. The chemical characterization of the obtained essential oils was investigated in the present work for the first time by GC and GC-MS. Besides, they were evaluated for their in-vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity whose enzyme hyperactivity is involved in Alzheimer’s disease. Using Ellman’s spectrophotometric method, additionally, their in-vitro antimicrobial activity was assessed by the disc diffusion method. Both activities were performed at various oil concentrations.
Results:
The GC/MS analysis of the aerial parts (leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds) essential oils of E. thapsioides revealed the presence of dominant compounds and others in small quantities, identifying 47 chemical molecules. Monoterpene hydrocarbons were the main components, ranging from 72.78 % to 99.13 %. Oxygenated monoterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenes ranged between (1.37 % -17.25 %) and (0.12 % -3.53 %) in leaves and stem essential oils. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were present in small to large quantities in the essential oils of both populations, with contents ranging from 0.69 % to 13.44 %. For the Isothiocyanates, their presence was recorded in leaves and stem essential oils from Mahouane and Merges with 9.73 % and 3.72 %, consecutively. Indeed, the essential oil of the Mahouane stem showed the highest AChE inhibitory activity among all the tested essential oils. Whereas the highest antibacterial activity was shown by the essential oil obtained from Megres leaves against Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778.
Conclusion:
The oils exhibited a moderate inhibitory activity in both activities.
