Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil From Euphorbia helioscopia L.

Abstract

The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Euphorbia helioscopia L. were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), GC, and microdilution methods. Thirty-five compounds, representing 83.51% of the total oil, were identified. 1,6-Dihydrocarveol (31.39%), carvone (16.79%), menthol (8.23%), and trans-dihydrocarvone (5.53%) were the principal constituents of the oil. The essential oil exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against strains of the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, and a strain of the fungus Candida albicans with a minimal inhibitory concentration value of 31.25 μg/mL and minimum bactericidal concentration values of 31.25 μg/mL (S. aureus), 62.50 μg/mL (E. faecalis), >62.50 μg/mL (E. coli), >62.50 μg/mL (S. dysenteriae), and >62.50 μg/mL (C. albicans). These results indicated that the essential oil from the aerial parts of E. helioscopia could be used to control diseases caused by these microbes.