Chemical composition and biological activities of Tunisian Cupressus arizonica Greene essential oils.
The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of leaves, stems, and female cones of Cupressus arizonica Greene, grown in Tunisia, was studied by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. Altogether, 62 compounds were identified, 62 in the leaf oil, 19 in the cone oil, and 24 in the stem oil. The cone and stem oils were mainly composed by monoterpene hydrocarbons (96.6 and 85.2%, resp.). In the leaf oil, the total sesquiterpene fraction constituted 36.1% and that of the monoterpene hydrocarbons 33.8% of the total oil composition. The three oils were evaluated for their in vitro herbicidal activity by determining their influence on the germination and the shoot and root growth of the four weed species Sinapis arvensis L., Lolium rigidum Gaudin, Trifolium campestre Schreb., and Phalaris canariensis L. At the highest doses tested (0.8 and 1.0 mg/ml), the leaf essential oil inhibited either totally or almost completely the seed germination and the shoot and root growth of S. arvensis and T. campestre. The oils were also tested for their antifungal activity; however, their effects on the fungal growth were statistically not significant.
Laboratory for Forest Ecology, National Institute for Research in Rural Engineering, Water and Forests, BP 10, 2080 Ariana, Tunisia.
Amri
A
Ismail
Emilia
E
Mancini
Laura
L
De Martino
Lamia
L
Hamrouni
Mohsen
M
Hanana
Bassem
B
Jamoussi
Samia
S
Gargouri
Mariarosa
M
Scognamiglio
Vincenzo
V
De Feo
D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D029779:Cupressaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts
Antifungal activity; Cupressus arizonica; Essential oils; Herbicidal activity; Principal component analysis (PCA)