Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of the Essential Oil and Solvent Extracts of

Abstract

Forty five components were identified in the oil, among them, germacrene D (18.1±0.1%), bicyclogermacrene (1.4±0.0%), and spathunelnol (2.7±0.0%) were the major sesquiterpenoids, n-tetradecanol (4.9±0.0%) was the most abundant fatty alcohol and diisobuthyl phthalate (43.9±0.2%) was the most abundant constituent. The extracts of aerial parts of Sc. nodosa were prepared using different solvents; dichloromethane (DCM), methanol (MeOH) and MeOH: H2O (80:20). Antibacterial activity of the oil and each solvent extract was tested against three Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria by nutrient broth micro dilution method. Among the tested microorganisms, Staphylococcus epidermidis (IC50 1.25-5mg/ml), Bacillus subtilis (IC50 1.25mg/ml) and Escherichia coli (IC50 1.25mg/ml) were the most susceptible to the applied oils and the extracts. The antioxidant potential and total phenol contents of the extracts were assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and FolinCiocalteu reagent, respectively. Methanol and 80% methanol extracts of the plant showed relatively weak DPPH radical scavenging activity and low amounts of total phenol contents.