Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Potentials of Some Cold Pressed Oils from Some Medicinal Plants from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Medicinal Plant oils are used as a conventional medication for treatment of several illnesses and ailments since old times. Our aim was to estimate the antimicrobial and wound healing properties of fixed oil of some plants as Moringa sp., Saussurea sp., Nigella sp., Cucurbita sp., and Thymus sp. The composition of fatty acids, tocopherols, phytosterols and other active components were identified by using high performance liquid and gas chromatography. Antimicrobial efficacy was done against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram ve+ bacteria), Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans (Gram ve− bacteria). Antimicrobial efficacy was estimated using disc diffusion and MIC methods. Wound healing efficacy was estimated using excision wound model in albino mice and the topical application of the fixed oils. Oleic acid, Linoleic acid, Linolenic acid, Palmitic acid, Stearic acid, α-, β-, γ-tocopherols, β-sitosterol, Stigmasterol and Campesterol are present in the studied oils. The studied oils showed high antimicrobial activities, and black seed oil had largest inhibition zone against K. pneumonia and S. aureus at 100 μl/ml. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) recorded by Nigella sp. oil (40 μl/ml) for K. pneumonia, E. coli, C. albicans, and 60 μl/ml for S. aureus and B. subtilis. All fixed oils speed up the healing process.