Physicochemical characterization, antioxidant and antifungal activities of essential oils of Urginea maritima and Allium sativum

Abstract

This study aims to contribute to the valorizing of aromatic and medicinal plants of Morocco by studying the antioxidant and antifungal properties of the essential oils (EOs) of Allium sativum (AS) (garlic) and Urginea maritima (Syn. Drimia maritima) tested in vitro. After the hydrodistillation of EOs, we determined their physicochemical indices according to an international standard (Moroccan ISO standard), and the chemical composition of the oils was studied by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Then, the antioxidant properties were determined using the free radical scavenging capacity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and the ferric-reducing antioxidant power of these oils. The evaluation of the antifungal activity was carried out by the direct contact method against two fungal strains, Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium equiseti. GC-MS analysis revealed a significant percentage of terpenes in U. maritima EO, with terpinolene (21.82%) and estragole (6.24%) as the main compounds. Biological tests have demonstrated the remarkable antioxidant activities of this EO compared with AS EO, with an IC50 of 1.03 mg/mL and an RP0.5 of 1.60 mg/mL. On the other hand, while A. sativum (garlic) EO showed exceptional antifungal activities, with 100% inhibition and MICs of 0.5 µL/mL for F. equiseti and 2.5 µL/mL for F. oxysporum. Also, regardless of its antioxidant properties being moderate, this EO stands out for its efficacy against fungal infections of the Fusarium genus. In summary, the results suggest that U. maritima EO could be used as a natural source of antioxidants, while garlic EO could be considered a potentially effective treatment against fungal infections caused by Fusarium fungi.