The essential oils of fresh leaves of Eucalyptus globulus L. (Myrtaceae), and leaves and stems of Smyrnium olusatrum L. (Apiaceae), obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus, were analyzed by GC/MS. Twenty compounds were characterized, representing 98.3% of the essential oil of E. globulus, with 1,8-cineole (48.6%), globulol (10.9%), trans-pinocarveol (10.7%), and α-terpineol (6.6%) as main components, while thirty-three compounds were characterized, representing 94.3% of the essential oil of S. olusatrum, with sabinene (27.1%), curzerene (13.7%), methyl-1-benzyl-2oxocyclooctane carboxylate (12.3%), α-pinene (7.2%), cryptone (7.1%) and β-pinene (5.7%) as the major components. The essential oils of E. globulus and S. olusatrum were tested against a wide range of fungal and bacterial strains. Both oils showed significant antimicrobial activity.

Medicinal benefits of honey bee have been recognized in the medical community since ancient times as a remedy for many diseases and infections. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro susceptibility of 11 multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, isolated from urinary tract infections of pregnant women, to six honey samples collected from different localities in the east of Algeria. The evaluation of the antibacterial activity was performed by the well method followed by the broth dilution method using two-fold dilutions of each honey sample ranging from 2.5 to 80% (w/v). The results obtained in this study revealed that all tested honeys exhibited potent antibacterial activity against the tested strains. The diameters of inhibition ranged from 19.67 to 53.33 mm, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 2.5 to 40% (w/v) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBCs) varied between 2.5 and 80% (w/v). Gram-positive bacteria were found to be more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria with diameters ranging from 43.33 to 53.33 mm; MIC and MBC values ranged from 2.5 to 5% (w/v). The P. aeruginosa strain was found to be less susceptible than other strains with inhibitory diameters ranging from 19.67 to 27.33 mm; MICs ranged from 20 to 40% and MBCs ranged from 20 to 80% (w/v). This contribution has provided a broad overview of the antibacterial activity of Algerian honey and shown that honey bee has great potential for therapeutic use as an alternative therapy for urinary tract infection treatment which is safe and efficient during pregnancy.

The objective of this study is to determine the antimutagenic effect of honey and its correlation with the concentration of the total polyphenolic content. Seven honey samples were collected from different regions of Algeria. The total polyphenolic content was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric assay. The antimutagenic effect was carried out by the AMES Salmonella/ microsome mutagenicity assay against three known mutagenic substances (4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine, sodium azide, and mitomycin C), using Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, and TA102 strains. The results obtained revealed that Algerian honey contains high polyphenol content, which varied significantly between 38.04 and 286.28 µg of GAE/100 mg of honey. This variation is due to their different botanical and regional origins. In addition, all tested honey exhibited an antimutagenic effect against mutagenic substances; honey is effective to inhibit between 29.18±11.11 % and 73.14±11.14 % of mutagenic activity of chemical substances. There is a strong positive correlation between the total polyphenolic content and the antimutagenic proprieties of honey against the mutagenic substances. The results obtained suggest that honey is effective as an antimutagenic agent; it can play an important role in the protection of the mutagenic effect of DNA caused by chemical substances.

No abstract