title: Chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oil from Thymus lanceolatus.
abstract: Thymus lanceolatus is a rare species, which grows wild in Algeria and Tunis. It is used traditionally as a drink and to flavor and preserve meat and poultry. The composition of the essential oil was determined by GLC/FID and GLC/MS. Forty-nine components were identified and quantified, accounting for 96.75% of the total detected components in the oil. The oxygenated monoterpenes (74.85%) constitute the major class of volatile secondary metabolites in the oil. Thymol was the most abundant constituent (69.61%) followed by γ-terpinene (8.38%). The antioxidant activity was evaluated using both diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH˙) reduction and 2-deoxyribose (2-DR) degradation prevention methods. The oil showed a very potent antioxidant activity with IC(50) values of 0.20 ± 0.07 and 4.96 ± 0.39 μg/mL for the DPPH˙ and 2-DR methods, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the oil was assessed using the agar diffusion method, and the in vitro cytotoxicity on five different cancer cells was examined using the MTT assay. The oil revealed promising inhibitory activity against Gram positive bacteria, especially Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pyogenes with an MIC value of 62.5 μg/mL. Additionally, the highest cytotoxic activity was observed against the HL-60 cells with an IC(50) of 113.5 μg/mL. These results validate some of their traditional uses in food preservation.
authors.forename: Abdelmounaim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khadir
authors.forename: Mansour
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sobeh
authors.forename: Haidy A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Gad
authors.forename: Fethi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benbelaid
authors.forename: Mourad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bendahou
authors.forename: Herbenya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peixoto
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sporer
authors.forename: Mohamed L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ashour
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wink
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000254:growth & development*; D046930:Thymus Plant / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D009822:Oils, Volatile