Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils and Extracts of Ferula orientalis

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the essential oil content, essential oil and extracts, which are known as Ferula orientalis and obtained from naturally grown plants in Narman (Erzurum, Türkiye) province, antioxidant effects and antimicrobial effects. F. orientalis essential oils were isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify their components. The antimicrobial activity was measured by the disc diffusion methods and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods against Chryseobacterium indologenes which cause soft rot in certain vegetables and fruits. Total antioxidant and phenolic contents were analyzed by 2,2′- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6 sulphonic acid (ABTS), thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), β-carotene bleaching test (BCB) and Folin-Ciocalteu method. According to the results obtained; F. orientalis essential oil exhibited a high content of δ-3-Carene (40.38%) as major compound over 14 identified components by GC-MS analysis followed by γ-Terpinene (17.24%), (E)-β-Ocimene (10.51%), and β-Phellandrene (8.49%). The essential oil and extracts was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity against C. indologenes showed significant antibacterial activities with MIC values of 9-21 mm and 62.5 μg/mL, respectively, but extracts and antibiotics have no effect against C. indologenes. Hexane extract had the highest ABTS free radical scavenging activity with 14.2 (IC50 g/l), acetone extract had the highest DPPH capacity with 24.2 (IC50 g/l), and water extract had the highest amount of total phenolic compound with 15.13±3.82 mg GAE/g. In the TBARS test antioxidant activity increased as the amount of essential oil increased. The antioxidant capacity of F. orientalis essential oil exhibited reduction when evaluated by β-carotene bleaching assay. As a result, it is thought that F. orientalis essential oils and extracts can be used as an alternative natural antioxidant source for potential applications.