Brocchia cinerea essential oil from Brezina (Algerian Sahara): Chemical characterization and antibacterial activity

The essential oil of wild-growing medicinal specie Brocchia cinerea (Asteraceae) from Brezina (Algerian Sahara) was studied for chemical composition by GC/MS analysis and antibacterial activity. Twenty-nine identified components constituted 94.07% of the oil. The most important major components in the oil were trans-Thujone (36.11 %), Camphor (12.08 %), Santolina triene (11.25 %), 1,8-Cineol (6.98 %) and Cis-Verbenyl acetate (6.33 %), together reaching 72.75% of the total oil which is characterized by the presence of high content of oxygenated monoterpenes. The antibacterial activity of the essential oil was tested using the disc diffusion assay. The results showed that the essential oil of Brocchia cinerea had antibacterial activity against all tested Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aereginosa). Keywords: Essential Oil; Brocchia Cinerea; GC/MS; Oxygenated Monoterpenes; Antibacterial activity; Sahara;