Fifteen species of Tunisian traditional medicinal plants, belonging to 10 families, were selected for this study. They were Inula viscosa (L.) Ait and Reichardia tingitana (L.) Roth ssp. discolor (Pom.) Batt. (Asteraceae), Mesembryanthemum cristallinum L. and M. nodiflorum L. (Aizoaceae), Arthrocnemum indicum (Willd.) Moq., Atriplex inflata Muell., A. parvifolia Lowe var. ifiniensis (Caball) Maire, and Salicornia fruticosa L. (Chenopodiaceae), Cistus monspeliensis L. (Cistaceae), Juniperus phoenicea L. (Cupressaceae), Erica multiflora L. (Ericaceae), Frankenia pulverulenta L. (Frankeniaceae), Hypericum crispum L. (Hypericaceae), Plantago coronopus L. ssp. eu-coronopus Pilger var. vulgaris G.G. (Plantaginaceae) and Zygophyllum album L. (Zygophyllaceae). Fifty extracts prepared from those plants were screened in order to assay their antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), using neutral red incorporation. Extracts from eight plants among these 15 showed some degree of antiviral activity, while the methanolic extract of E. multiflora was highly active with EC(50) of 132.6 microg mL(-1). These results corroborate that medicinal plants from Tunisia can be a rich source of potential antiviral compounds.

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The chemical composition of essential oil isolated from the flowerheads of Chrysanthemum trifurcatum (Desf.) Batt. and Trab. var. macrocephalum (viv.) Beg. (Asteraceae) by hydrodistillation was analysed by GC and GC/MS. A total of 56 compounds representing 97.48% of the oil were identified: limonene (20.89%), g-terpinene (19.13%), 1,8-cineole (10.64%), b-pinene (8.77%), a-pinene (5.32%), 2-hexenal (4.85%), 4-terpenyl acetate (3.42%), b-myrcene (2.31%), germacrene-B (2.01%), b-spathulenol (1.62%), longifolene (1.39%), a-cadinol (1.39%), a-thujene (1.23%) and b-bourbobene (1.06%) were found to be the major components. Essential oil of flowerheads of C. trifurcatum was tested for antibacterial activity against eight strains, using a microdilution method, and for cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 using a neutral red incorporation method.The oil showed a great potential of antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis, in the inhibition range of 64e66% and IC 50 ranging from 62.5 to 125 mg/ml. On Vero cells, the CC 50 of the oil was 735.9 mg/ml and it did not exhibit a significant antiviral activity. To cite this article: A.

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