Microbial sensitivity to and chemical properties of the essential oil of Artemisia annua L

• Published in: The Journal of essential oil research Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 59 - 62
• Main Authors: Rasooli, I, Rezaee, M.B, Moosavi, M.L, Jaimand, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2003
• Subjects: 1,8-cineole; aerial parts; alpha-pinene; alpha-selinene; antimicrobial activity; antimicrobial properties; Artemisia annua; artemisia ketone; artemisinin; Asteraceae; Bacillus licheniformis; Bacillus subtilis; borneol; camphor; Candida albicans; chemical composition; distillates; Enterococcus faecalis; Escherichia coli; essential oil composition; essential oils; gas chromatography; isolation; ketones; kinetics; Klebsiella pneumoniae; mass spectrometry; minimum inhibitory concentration; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Staphylococcus aureus; α-pinene
• ISSN: 1041-2905; 2163-8152
• DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2003.9712268

The antimicrobial effects of essential oil isolated from Artemisia annua L. were studied against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Candida albicans and Saccliaromyces cerevisiae. The disc diffusion method was used to evaluate the zone of microbial growth inhibition at various concentrations of the oils. Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the oils were determined and compared with each other. The kinetics of microbial destruction by the oil was studied. The oil was found to have antimicrobial particularly antibacterial effect. GC and GC/MS analysis of the oil revealed 17 components. The major components were artemisia ketone (24.2%), α-pinene (12.1%), 1,8-cineole (9.8%), camphore (8.4%), α-selinene (7.5%) and borneol (6.0%). The high monoterpenes hydrocarbons seem to contribute for strong antimicrobial activity of A. annua.