| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4514259 | Industrial Crops and Products | 2012 | 7 Pages |
Hydrodistilled volatile oil obtained from the aerial parts of Artemisia annua L., cultivated near Sarajevo, Bosnia, was analyzed by GC–MS. More than one hundred compounds were identified, representing 95.5% of the total oil. The major constituents of essential oil were oxygenated monoterpenes, artemisia ketone (30.7%) and camphor (15.8%). Isolated essential oil was tested for radical-scavenging ability using the stable DPPH radical, the ABTS radical, for reducing power ability with a test based on the reduction of ferric cations, for reducing ability of hydroxy radical in ORAC assay, and for metal chelating ability using the ferrozine assay. In all tests oil did not show a prominent antioxidant activity, but still comparable with thymol, an already known antioxidant. The screening of antimicrobial activity of oil was individually evaluated against representatives of Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi, using the agar diffusion method. All tested microorganisms were inhibited by essential oil. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of antimicrobial activity of essential oil of A. annua against Haemophilus influenzae, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Micrococcus luteus and Candida krusei microbial strains. The antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oil of A. annua from Bosnia is presented here for the first time and extends our knowledge in the range of valuable biological activities and possible roles in therapy associated with this medicinal herb.
► We isolated essential oil of cultivated Artemisia annua L. and determined its constituents using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry technique. ► We examined antioxidant activity of essential oil using five different testing methods. ► Essential oil showed antioxidant activity comparable with thymol. ► We examined antimicrobial activity of essential oil against representatives of Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. ► Essential oil showed prominent antibacterial activity comparable with amoxicilin.
