ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Essential Oil Chemical Composition,
Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities
of Eucalyptus largiflorens F. Muell
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1
Rangeland and Watershed Management Department Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran
2
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq
3
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq
4
Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Food Chemistry and Nutraceutical Lab,
Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
5
Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Urbino “Carlo Bo” - Piazza Rinascimento, 6, 61029 Urbino PU, Italy
6
UniCamillus-Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Via di Sant’Alessandro, 800131 Rome, Italy
Submission date: 2022-11-11
Final revision date: 2023-02-24
Acceptance date: 2023-03-04
Online publication date: 2023-05-10
Publication date: 2023-06-23
Corresponding author
Fuad O. Abdullah
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Salahaddin University – Kirkuk Road, Erbil, Iraq, Kirkuk road., 44001, erbil, Iraq
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2023;32(4):3043-3052
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ABSTRACT
In this study, we investigated the chemical composition, the antibacterial activity, and the antioxidant
properties of extracts obtained from the leaves, flowers, and fruits of Eucalyptus largiflorens F. Muell.
The antioxidant effects of the methanolic extract of aerial parts of the plant, obtained by Soxhlet
apparatus, were estimated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene/linoleic acid
methods. The essential oils were chemically
characterized by gas chromatography (GC)
coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) and
flame ionization detector (FID). Thirty
compounds were identified, with 1,8-cineol,
α-pinene, aromadendrene, globulol and
α-phellandrene being the major components.
The antibacterial activities of the essential
oils were tested against several bacterial
isolates, including Staphylococcus aureus,
Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia
Coli, using the disc diffusion method.
All the essential oils exhibited antibacterial activity. The maximum zone of inhibition was observed for Escherichia coli,
with the fruit essential oil in the concentration (100 μL). There was no significant antioxidant
activity in the essential oils, while the extracts exhibited considerable antioxidant effects in comparison
to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). In this regard, the flower extract showed the highest antioxidant
activity in both DPPH (IC50 = 21.5±0.2 μg/mL) and β-carotene/linoleic acid tests (Inhibition
(%) = 84.3±0.7). Finally, the fruit essential oil exerts a significant antibacterial activity against several
bacterial strains and exhibits a significant antioxidant effect in the β-carotene/linoleic acid tests, thus it
may represent an innovative nutraceutical tool able to act on bacteria and host oxidative stress related
to infections.