Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities and Acute Toxicity of <i>Cedrus atlantica</i>, <i>Chenopodium ambrosioides</i> and <i>Eucalyptus camaldulensis</i> Essential Oils
Rabab Ez-Zriouli,
Houda ElYacoubi,
Hamada Imtara,
Abdelhalim Mesfioui,
Aboubaker ElHessni,
Omkulthom Al Kamaly,
Samar Zuhair Alshawwa,
Fahd A. Nasr,
Zineb Benziane Ouaritini,
Atmane Rochdi
Affiliations
Rabab Ez-Zriouli
Laboratory of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Research Unit of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra 14000, Morocco
Houda ElYacoubi
Laboratory of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Research Unit of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra 14000, Morocco
Hamada Imtara
Faculty of Sciences, Arab American University Palestine, Jenin 44862, Palestine
Abdelhalim Mesfioui
Biology and Health Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra 14000, Morocco
Aboubaker ElHessni
Biology and Health Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra 14000, Morocco
Omkulthom Al Kamaly
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Samar Zuhair Alshawwa
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Fahd A. Nasr
Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Zineb Benziane Ouaritini
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Natural Conservation of the Resources, Dhar El Mehraz Faculty of Science, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fes 30000, Morocco
Atmane Rochdi
Laboratory of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Research Unit of Agro-Physiology, Biotechnology and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra 14000, Morocco
The essential oils yield of Cedrus atlantica, Chenopodium ambrosioides and Eucalyptus camaldulensis was different. C. ambrosioides gave a relatively higher yield (2.1 ± 0.1%), while that of C. atlantica was low (1.0 ± 0.1%) and that of E. camaldulensis was lower (0.75 ± 0.1% of dry matter). The active ingredients of the essential oils and some of their biological effects were also determined. The characterization of their chemical compositions showed that the three essences have different chemical profiles: C. atlantica was richer in sesquiterpenes (β-Himachalene (54.21%) and γ -Himachalene (15.54%)), C. ambrosioides was very rich in monoterpene peroxides and monoterpenes (α-Terpinene (53.4%), ascaridole (17.7%) and ρ-Cymene (12.1%)) and E. camaldulensis was very rich in monoterpene compounds and monoterpenols (p-cymene (35.11%), γ-Eudesmol (11.9%), L-linalool (11.51%) and piperitone (10.28%)). The in vitro measurement of antioxidant activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) reduction assay showed a significant performance of the eucalyptus oil and average performance of the other two (C. atlantica and C. ambrosioides). The in vitro bio-test for their antimicrobial effects showed that the antibacterial activity differed depending on the essential oil and the concentration used, and that their bactericidal efficacy was similar or superior to that of synthetic antibiotics. The toxicity test on rats revealed that the LD50 of the three essential oils was 500 mg/kg body weight, which classifies them as category four cytotoxic natural products at high doses.
