Biomarker profiling of essential oil and its antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of Cleome austroarabica

Abstract

The primary role of plants and its products in the treatment of illness is demonstrated by their employment in all the major health care systems of medicine irrespective of the original philosophical evidence. The particular plant species is used in Oman for the treatment of several diseases including eye drops to treat cataracts. The present study is to isolate the essential oil from the selected plant Cleome austroarabica (C. austroarabica) which is grown in Oman and characterize the biomarkers by using Gas chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil was isolated by hydro-distillation method which was collected from Birkat Al Mouz and Tanuf. The percentage of major biomarkers was analyzed by GC-MS and they are as follows: diterpenes 53.1%, sesquiterpenes 41.8% and monoterpenes 5.1%, respectively. Among them, the major biomarkers were thunbergol (51.1%), elemol (9.4%), γ-eudesmol (6.1%), β-eudesmol (6.1%), α-eudesmol (4.3%), 6-epi-shyobunol (2.7%), 3-(z) cembrene (2.0%), β-bisabolene (1.8%), δ-cadinene (+)- (1.8%), ledol (1.4%), eremophilene (1.2%), sabinen (1.2%), caryophellene (1.0%) and guaiol (1.0%). The antibacterial potential of the plant essential oil (125–1000 μg/ml) was examined against six bacterial strains including Gram (+and –) by using disc diffusion method. All the tested Gram (+and –) bacterial strains displayed slight to moderate antibacterial potential (6–7 mm) against all concentrations of essential oil. The cytotoxic potential of the plant essential oil at different concentrations does not display any mortality against the brine shrimp larvae. In conclusion, based on the biomarkers and antibacterial potential of the isolated essential oil from the species it could be used as medicine to treat infectious diseases.