title: Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from three Melaleuca species grown in Tunisia.
abstract: The chemical composition of the essential oils of Melaleuca armillaris Sm., Melaleuca styphelioides Sm. and Melaleuca acuminata F. Muell., collected in Tunisia, was studied by means of GC and GC-MS analysis. In all, 46 compounds were identified, 38 for M. armillaris, 20 for M. acuminata and eight for M. styphelioides, respectively. The presence of a sesquiterpenic fraction (52.2%) characterized the oil from M. armillaris;  M. sthypheliodes oil was rich in methyl eugenol, a phenolic compound (91.1%), while M. acuminata oil is mainly constituted by oxygenated monoterpenoids (95.6%). The essential oils were evaluated for their in vitro potentially phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radicle growth of Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., Sinapis arvensis L., Triticum durum L. and Phalaris canariensis L. seeds. The radicle elongation of five seeds was inhibited at the highest doses tested, while germination of all seeds was not affected. Moreover, the essential oils showed low antimicrobial activity against eight selected microorganisms.
authors: Laboratory for Forest Ecology, National Institute for Research in Rural Engineering, Water and Forests, BP 10, 2080 Ariana, Tunisie. defeo@unisa.it.
authors: Ismail
authors: I
authors: Amri
authors: Emilia
authors: E
authors: Mancini
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: De Martino
authors: Aurelio
authors: A
authors: Marandino
authors: Hamrouni
authors: H
authors: Lamia
authors: Hanana
authors: H
authors: Mohsen
authors: Jamoussi
authors: J
authors: Bassem
authors: Mariarosa
authors: M
authors: Scognamiglio
authors: Ernesto
authors: E
authors: Reverchon
authors: Vincenzo
authors: V
authors: De Feo
mesh_terms: D006540:Herbicides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031650:Melaleuca / Q000737:chemistry*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D009822:Oils, Volatile