Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Artemisia absinthium L. Collected from Tunisian Regions

Abstract

Abstract. The aim of this comparative research was to determine the chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the methanolic extracts and essential oils (EOs) of Artemisia absinthium aerial parts from five different regions (Bizerte, Zaghouan, Kasserine, Gabes and Tozeur). The polyphenol and flavonoid contents significantly varied (P < 0.05) among the studied regions with maximal contents observed in Zaghouan. Based on the High Performance Liquid Chromatography results, quercetin and isorhamnetin were the main compounds and their percentages were region dependent. The methanolic extract of Zaghouan showed the highest scavenging ability of DPPH (IC50 = 31.46 ± 1.42 µg/mL). A. absinthium EOs from of the different regions were found to interestingly inhibit the growth of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria strains. The antibacterial effect was strongly related to the organoleptic EO quality. The EO of Zaghouan exhibited an important inhibitory effect with an inhibition zone estimated at 31 mm against Escherichia coli strain. The EO composition was obtained by GC-MS analysis showing the presence of thirty-five compounds. Camphor (49.70 ± 2.34 %) and chamazulene (25.41 ± 0.61 %) were the main constituents. These results suggested that the north regions have a high potential for selecting varieties rich on bioactive volatile and phenolic compounds. Resumen. El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar y comparar la composición química, las actividades antioxidantes y antibacterianas de los extractos metanólicos y de los aceites esenciales (AE) de las partes aéreas de Artemisia absinthium de cinco regiones (Bizerta, Zaghouan, Kasserine, Gabes y Tozeur). Los contenidos de polifenoles y flavonoides variaron significativamente (P < 0,05) entre las regiones estudiadas con contenidos máximos observados en Zaghouan. De acuerdo con los resultados de la cromatografía líquida de alta resolución, la quercetina y la isorhamnetina fueron los compuestos principales y sus porcentajes dependieron de la región. El extracto metanólico de Zaghouan mostró la mayor capacidad secuestrante de DPPH (IC50 = 31.46 ± 1.42 µg mL-1). Se descubrió que los aceites esenciales de A. absinthium de las diferentes regiones inhibían de manera interesante el crecimiento de cepas de bacterias Gram-negativas y Gram-positivas. El efecto antibacteriano estuvo fuertemente relacionado con la calidad organoléptica del AE. El AE de Zaghouan exhibió un importante efecto inhibidor con un halo de inhibición estimado en 31 mm frente a una cepa de Escherichia coli. La composición de AE se obtuvo mediante análisis GC-MS y mostró la presencia de treinta y cinco compuestos. El alcanfor (49.70 ± 2.34 %) y el camazuleno (25.41 ± 0.61 %) fueron los principales constituyentes. Estos resultados sugirieron que las regiones del norte tienen un alto potencial para seleccionar variedades ricas en compuestos bioactivos volátiles y fenólicos.

Artemisia spp. Essential Oils: From Their Ethnobotanical Use to Unraveling the Microbiota Modulation Potential

“…The chemical composition reported in this work differs in part from what is reported in the literature, especially regarding the main compounds. The comparison with works concerning EOs from Tunisian AAbs [20][21][22] highlighted the presence of the same main components (trans-thujone, camphor and chamazulene) but in different quantities. The trans-thujone in the present work has a higher concentration than the EOs analyzed in the literature, while camphor and chamazulene have lower concentrations.…”

Antimicrobial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Stabilized by Liposoluble Extract of Artemisia terrae-albae

“…Artemisia spp. contains various chemical lipophilic and hydrophilic compounds including lactones, terpenoids (e.g., myrcene, germacrene D, camphor, chamazulene), flavonoids, and flavonoid glycosides [4][5][6][7][8].…”

“…Substances isolated from Artemisia exhibit antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antidepressant, antioxidant [7,10,11], antimicrobial, antiviral [4,12,13], antistress, hepatoprotective, antispasmodic, antimalarial, and antipyretic properties as well as for the treatment of chronic fever [14].…”