Analysis of Essential Oil of Coridothymus capitatus (L.) and Its Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity

Abstract

The water-distilled essential oil the leaves of Coridothymus capitatus were analyzed by GC/MS and also analyzed by direct thermal desorption GC/MS. Comparison was made between two analyses techniques. The essential oil consisted mainly of monoterpenes 98.9%, while oxygenated hydrocarbons were identified as 55.6% and non-oxygenated hydrocarbons as 43.6%. As major components were found carvacrol (35.6%), p-cymene (21.0%), thymol (18.6%), γ-terpinene (12.3%), α-terpinene (3.2%), β-myrcene (3.0%) and α-thujene (1.3%) by hydrodistillation and by the GC/MS method. The direct thermal desorption GC/MS analysis also showed the same major components, namely carvacrol (51.6%), thymol (21.7%), p-cymene (9.7%) γ-terpinene (8.2%), α-terpinene (1.64%). The essential oil of C. capitatus showed strong activity against S. aureus, P. vulgaris, P. aeruginosa, E. coli, K. pneumonia, B. subtilis, E. faecalis, S. epidermidis and C. albicans.