Chemical Composition, Anti-radical and Antibacterial Activities of Essential Oils from Needles of <i>Pinus halepensis</i> Mill., <i>P. pinaster</i> Aiton., and <i>P. pinea</i> L
Foued Aloui, Mokhtar Baraket, Saber Jedidi, Karim Hosni, Rahma Bouchnak, Oumaima Salhi, Nouri Jdaidi, Houcine Selmi, Hanene Ghazghazi, Ayda Khadhri, Chaabane Abbès
Abstract
The present study aims to study the chemical composition of the essential oils from needles of three pine species: Pinus halepensis Mill., P. pinaster Aiton. and P. pinea L., and the evaluation of their in vitro anti-radical and antibacterial properties. GC-MS analysis showed that the essential oils were characterized by the abundance of monoterpene hydrocarbons (61.55-86.72 %). α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpinolene, α-fenchene, and β-caryophyllene were the most plentiful components in P. halepensis. Limonene, α-pinene, and β-caryophyllene were particularly abundant in P. pinea and P. pinaster essential oils. The strongest DPPH-radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 73.03 μg/mL) was observed for the limonene-rich essential oils of P. pinea. The three essential oils were effective against the Gram+ bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Listeria monocytogenes and the Gram- bacteria Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli. These results suggest that P. halepensis, P. pinaster, and P. pinea could constitute a consolidated source of natural bioactive ingredients with anti-radical and antimicrobial properties.