Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Berries Essential Oil of Algerian Juniperus thurifera (Var. aurasiaca)
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Date
2018-09-23
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Pharmaceutical Sciences
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
Background: Over the past decade, most antibiotic research programs have focused on
finding new compounds with antimicrobial activity. This study aims to investigate the
chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil (EO) extracted from
ripe berries of Algerian Juniperus thurifera var. aurasiaca.
Methods: The chemical composition of J. thurifera EO extracted by hydrodistillation was
analyzed by using the GC-MS technique. Antibacterial activity of EO alone and in
combination with three conventional antibiotics was assessed by using disc diffusion
method against four bacterial strains.
Results: Thirty-five components were identified, representing ~87 % of the oil. The main
components were m-mentha-6,8-diene (15.43 %), β-pinene (10.59 %), elemol (8.31 %) and
terpinene-4-ol (7.44 %). The essential oil showed strong antibacterial activity against S.
aureus and E. coli, but no activity against P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis. Synergistic effects
were observed because of the combined application of EO with gentamicin against all
strains tested, and with amoxicillin against B. subtilis. Furthermore, the combination of
EO/cefazolin demonstrated an additive effect against B. subtilis. In contrast, the
combination of EO with amoxicillin and céfazoline revealed antagonistic effects against S.
aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa.
Conclusion: This is the first report on the chemical composition and antibacterial activity
of Algerian juniper berries’ essential oil. The results indicate that the studied EO may be a
promising source of antibacterial compounds that could be useful for pharmaceutical
applications especially in combination with conventional antibiotics.