Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Anthemis altissima L. var. altissima

The essential oil obtained from the flowering parts of Anthemis altissima L. var. altissima was analysed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. In this study, 34 compounds representing 98.76% of the essential oil were identified. The main components were alpha-terpineol (26.42%), beta-pinene (9.23%), cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (6.30%), globulol (5.36%), n-tricosane (4.41%), terpinen-4-ol (4.08%) and 1,8 cineole (3.84%). Antibacterial activities of the essential oil and its two major components (alpha-terpineol and beta-pinene) were determined using microdilution method against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacteria. The essential oil showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity (MICs ranged from 3.13 to 6.25 mu L mL(-1)). It was found that alpha-terpineol with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the range 0.87-1.56 mu L mL(-1) was a more potent antibacterial agent than beta-pinene with MIC values of the range 1.56-6.25 mu L mL(-1). All of them, the essential oil, beta-pinene and alpha-terpineol, were more effective against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative ones.