Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Activities ofSatureja montanaL. Essential Oil and Its Antibacterial Potential againstSalmonellaSpp. Strains

Abstract

The present study describes chemical composition as well as cytotoxic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of winter savorySatureja montanaL. essential oil (EO). The plant was collected from south France mountain, and its EO was extracted by hydrodistillation (HD) and analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Thirty-two compounds were identified accounting for 99.85% of the total oil, where oxygenated monoterpenes constituted the main chemical class (59.11%). The oil was dominated by carvacrol (53.35%),γ-terpinene (13.54%), and the monoterpenic hydrocarbonsp-cymene (13.03%). Moreover,S. montanaL. EO exhibited high antibacterial activities with strong effectiveness against several pathogenic food isolatedSalmonellaspp. includingS. enteritidiswith a diameter of inhibition zones growth ranging from 21 to 51 mm and MIC and MBC values ranging from 0.39–1.56 mg/mL to 0.39–3.12 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, theS. montanaL. EO was investigated for its cytotoxic and antioxidant activities. The results revealed a significant cytotoxic effect ofS. montanaL. EO against A549 cell line and an important antioxidant activity. These findings suggest thatS. montanaL. EO may be considered as an interesting source of components used as potent agents in food preservation and for therapeutic or nutraceutical industries.