Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Anti-Diabetic, Anti-Acetylcholinesterase, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Arbutus unedo</i> L. and <i>Laurus nobilis</i> L. Essential Oils
Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli,
Hanae Naceiri Mrabti,
Hayat Ouassou,
Rachid Flouchi,
Emad M. Abdallah,
Ryan A. Sheikh,
Mohammed Merae Alshahrani,
Ahmed Abdullah Al Awadh,
Hicham Harhar,
Nasreddine El Omari,
Ahmed Qasem,
Hamza Assaggaf,
Naif Hesham Moursi,
Abdelhakim Bouyahya,
Monica Gallo,
Moulay El Abbes Faouzi
Affiliations
Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli
Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Hanae Naceiri Mrabti
Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Bio Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Analysis Research Team, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohammed V in Rabat, Rabat BP 6203, Morocco
Hayat Ouassou
Faculty of Sciences, University Mohammed First, Boulevard Mohamed VI BP 717, Oujda 60000, Morocco
Rachid Flouchi
Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology and Bioactive Molecules, Science and Technologies Faculty, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez BP 2202, Morocco
Emad M. Abdallah
Department of Science Laboratories, College of Science and Arts, Qassim University, Ar Rass 51921, Saudi Arabia
Ryan A. Sheikh
Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Merae Alshahrani
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran 61441, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Abdullah Al Awadh
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran 61441, Saudi Arabia
Hicham Harhar
Laboratory of Materials, Nanotechnology and Environment LMNE, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat BP 1014, Morocco
Nasreddine El Omari
Laboratory of Histology, Embryology, and Cytogenetic, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat 10000, Morocco
Ahmed Qasem
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Hamza Assaggaf
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Naif Hesham Moursi
King Fahad Armed Forced Hospital, Jeddah 23311, Saudi Arabia
Abdelhakim Bouyahya
Laboratory of Human Pathologies Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat BP 6203, Morocco
Monica Gallo
Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
Moulay El Abbes Faouzi
Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Bio Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Analysis Research Team, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohammed V in Rabat, Rabat BP 6203, Morocco
The objectives of this work were to determine the phytochemical composition and antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-acetylcholinesterase properties of Arbutus unedo L. and Laurus nobilis L. EOs. The antioxidant effects were estimated using four complementary methods. In addition, the anti-diabetic activity was assessed by targeting three carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes, namely α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase. The anti-inflammatory and anti-acetylcholinesterase effects were evaluated by testing the inhibitory potential of both plants on lipo-oxygenase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), respectively. The antimicrobial activity of these oils was evaluated using disc-diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) tests. The chemical composition of L. nobilis essential oil (EO) was dominated by eucalyptol (36.40%), followed by α-terpineole (13.05%), α-terpinyl acetate (10.61%), linalool (10.34%), and northujane (5.74%). The main volatile compounds of A. unedo EOs were decenal (13.47%), α-terpineol (7.8%), and palmitic acid (6.00%). L. nobilis and A. unedo EOs inhibited α-amylase with IC50 values of 42.51 ± 0.012 and 102 ± 0.06 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, both oils inhibited the activity of α-glucosidase (IC50 = 1.347 ± 0.021 µg/mL and IC50 = 76 ± 0.021 µg/mL) and lipase (IC50 = 21.23 ± 0.021 µg/mL and IC50 = 97.018 ± 0.012 µg/mL, respectively). In addition, L. nobilis EO showed an anti-AChE activity (IC50 = 89.44 ± 0.07 µg/mL) higher than that of A. unedo EO (IC50 = 378.57 ± 0.05 µg/mL). Regarding anti-inflammatory activity, in vitro assays showed that L. nobilis significantly inhibits (IC50 = 48.31 ± 0.07 μg/mL) 5-lipoxygenase compared to A. unedo (IC50 = 86.14 ± 0.05 μg/mL). This was confirmed in vivo via a notable inhibition of inflammation recorded after 6 h of treatment in both plants at a dose of 50 mg/kg. The microbiological results revealed that EOs from both plants inhibited the growth of all tested organisms except P. aeruginosa, with the highest antimicrobial effect for L. nobilis. The results of these tests showed that these two plants possess remarkable biological and pharmacological properties, explaining their medicinal effects and suggesting them as promising sources of natural drugs.
