Antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Ferulago angulata subsp. carduchorum

Introduction and objective: Ferulago angulata is an important medicinal plant of Iran. The essential oil of seeds aerial parts of this plant contains variety of components with different therapeutical effects. The purpose of this study was to provide the first examination of the antibacterial and antifungal effects of essential oils obtained from aerial parts and seeds of F. angulata subsp. carduchorum which is endemic to Shahoo Mountains (west of Iran).

Materials and methods: Chemical composition of the essential oils of seeds and aerial parts of F. angulata subsp. carduchorum was analysed by the Gas Chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The susceptibility of the microorganisms to essential oils was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using microdilution method.

Results: The GC-MS analysis of the essential oils has led to the identification and quantification of 57 components, the most abundant of them were cis-ocimene (27.9%) for aerial parts and α-pinene (76.1%) for seeds. Other compounds present (α-pinene, β-pinene, 4-terpineol, α-terpineol and caryophyllene oxide) have been reported to have antimicrobial effects on bacteria and fungi. Among different bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (MIC= 15µg/ml) and Listeria monocytogenesis (MIC=137µg/ml) disclosed a high sensitivity to essential oils of aerial parts and seeds respectively. These essential oils showed weak activity against fungus (Candida albicans).

Conclusion: This study showed that the essential oil of seeds and aerial parts of F. angulata subsp. carduchorum have antimicrobial activity against different infectious microbes.