title: Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils from four Ruta species growing in Algeria.
abstract: Antimicrobial properties of plants essential oils have been investigated in order to suggest them as potential tools to overcome the microbial drug resistance and the increasing incidence of food borne diseases problems. The aim of this research is to study the antibacterial and antifungal effects of four traditional plants essential oils, Ruta angustifolia, Ruta chalepensis, Ruta graveolens and Ruta tuberculata, against standard bacterial and fungal strains. The chemical compounds of the oils were examined by GC/MS. Results revealed a powerful antifungal activity against filamentous fungi. Aspergillus fumigatus and Cladosporium herbarum are the most sensitive strains to these oils with MIC values less than 3.5 μg ml(-1) for certain oils, reaching 7.8 μg ml(-1) for other. GC/MS essay exhibited ketones as the most abundant constituent of these oils except for R. tuberculata essential oil which has a completely different composition, monoterpenes alcohols being the most abundant. These compositions explain their potential antifungal activity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Natural Products, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Abou Bekr Belkaïd University, B.P. 119, Tlemcen 13000, Algeria. biofar23@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haddouchi
authors.forename: Tarik Mohammed
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Chaouche
authors.forename: Yosr
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zaouali
authors.forename: Riadh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ksouri
authors.forename: Amina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Attou
authors.forename: Abdelhafid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benmansour
mesh_terms: D000462:Algeria; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D032105:Ruta / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils