Essential Oils of Tunisian Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast.: Chemical and Biological Insights

Abstract

Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast. is native to the Mediterranean area and belongs to Cupressaceae family. The aim of this study were: i) to determine the chemical composition of essential oils (EOs) of T. articulata obtained from its stems, leaves, and cones using GC coupled to GC/MS; II) to evaluate their antioxidant activity using non enzymatic (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) and enzymatic methods (catalase activity); III) to evaluated their anti‐enzymatic activity on enzyme involved in metabolism and Central Nervous System using spectrophotometric assays. α‐Pinene, limonene, and bornyl acetate were the main components of the three EOs. Moreover, the EO from cones showed the best antioxidant activity and was also to increase of catalase activity. All EOs were active against α‐amylase in similar way; the EO leaves was more active against α‐glucosidase and the EO from cones was more active against cholinesterase. The EOs demonstrated significant inhibition of the mature biofilm of Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive strains. This highlight the potential uses of T. articulata EOs in the fields of health and agriculture.