title: Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. (Asteraceae).
abstract: The in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. (Asteraceae) were investigated. GC-MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 36 compounds constituting 90.8% of the total oil. Eucalyptol, camphor, alpha-terpineol, beta-pinene, and borneol were the principal components comprising 60.7% of the oil. The oil strongly reduced the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical (IC(50)=1.56 micro g/ml) and exhibited hydroxyl radical scavenging effect in the Fe(3+)-EDTA-H(2)O(2) deoxyribose system (IC(50)=2.7 micro g/ml). It also inhibited the nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation of rat liver homogenate (IC(50)=13.5 micro g/ml). The polar phase of the extract showed antioxidant activity. The oil showed antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Clostridium perfringens, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Acinetobacter lwoffii and Candida krusei while water-insoluble parts of the methanolic extracts exhibited slight or no activity. This study confirms that the essential oil of Achillea millefolium possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Literature, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, 58140, Turkey. candan@dumhuriyet.edu.tr
authors.forename: Ferda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Candan
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unlu
authors.forename: Bektaş
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tepe
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Daferera
authors.forename: Moschos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polissiou
authors.forename: Atalay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sökmen
authors.forename: H Aşkin
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Akpulat
mesh_terms: D031162:Achillea / Q000737:chemistry*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010938:Plant Oils; D000432:Methanol