Determination of Chemical Compounds and Investigation of Biological Properties of <i>Matricaria chamomilla</i> Essential Oils, Honey, and Their Mixture
Ahmed Qasem,
Hamza Assaggaf,
Domenico Montesano,
Zineb Khalil,
Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli,
Aicha EL Baaboua,
Nasreddine El Omari,
Naoual El Menyiy,
Saad Bakrim,
Ryan A. Sheikh,
Mohammed Merae Alshahrani,
Ahmed Abdullah Al Awadh,
Gokhan Zengin,
Abdelhakim Bouyahya,
Hanae Naceiri Mrabti
Affiliations
Ahmed Qasem
Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Hamza Assaggaf
Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Domenico Montesano
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
Zineb Khalil
Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat BP 6203, Morocco
Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli
Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Aicha EL Baaboua
Biology and Health Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tetouan 93000, Morocco
Nasreddine El Omari
Laboratory of Histology, Embryology and Cytogenetic, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Taounate 34025, Morocco
Naoual El Menyiy
Laboratory of Pharmacology, National Agency of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Taounate 34025, Morocco
Saad Bakrim
Geo-Bio-Environment Engineering and Innovation Laboratory, Molecular Engineering, Biotechnologies and Innovation Team, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taroudant, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco
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
Gokhan Zengin
Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Selcuk University, Konya 42250, Turkey
Abdelhakim Bouyahya
Laboratory of Human Pathologies Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat BP 6203, Morocco
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
This exploratory investigation aimed to determine the chemical composition and evaluate some biological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial activities, of Matricaria chamomilla L. essential oils (EOs). EOs of M. chamomilla were obtained by hydrodistillation and phytochemical screening was performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS). The antimicrobial activities were tested against different pathogenic strains of microorganisms by using disc diffusion assay, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) methods. The antidiabetic activity was performed in vitro using the enzyme inhibition test. The antioxidant activity of EOs was tested using the free radical scavenging ability (DPPH method), ferrous ion chelating (FIC) ability, and β-carotene bleaching assay. The anti-inflammatory effects were tested in vivo using the carrageenan-induced paw edema method and in vitro using the inhibition of the lipoxygenase test. The analysis of the phytochemical composition by GC-MS revealed that camphor (16.42%) was the major compound of EOs, followed by 3-carene (9.95%), β-myrcene (8.01%), and chamazulene (6.54%). MCEO, honey, and their mixture exhibited antioxidant activity against the DPPH assay (IC50 ranging from 533.89 ± 15.05 µg/mL to 1945.38 ± 12.71 µg/mL). The mixture exhibited the best radical scavenging activity, with an IC50 of 533.89 ± 15.05 µg/mL. As antidiabetic effect, EO presented the best values against α-glucosidase (265.57 ± 0.03 μg/mL) and α-amylase (121.44 ± 0.05 μg/mL). The EOs and honey mixture at a dose of 100 mg/kg exhibited a high anti-inflammatory effect, with 63.75% edema inhibition after 3 h. The impact of EOs on the studied species showed an excellent antimicrobial (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 (22.97 ± 0.16 mm)), antifungal (Aspergillus niger (18.13 ± 0.18 mm)) and anti-yeast (Candida albicans (21.07 ± 0.24 mm) effect against all the tested strains. The results obtained indicate that the EOs of M. chamomilla could be a potential drug target against diabetes, inflammation and microbial infections; however, further investigations to assess their bioactive molecules individually and in combination are greatly required.
