Comparative Studies of Chemical Compostion, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil of Some Species from Genus Artemisia

Background and Objective: Some species from genus Artemisia were used in ancient medicine since Pharaonic civilization, most species of this genus are grown in arid or desert zones in Egypt. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the chemical constituents, antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of the essential oils of three species of Artemisia (Artemisia sieberi, Artemisia judaica and Artemisia monosperma) grown in Egypt. Materials and Methods: Chemical constituent of the essential oils of these species were analysed by GC-MS, antibacterial activities were carried out using disc-diffusion test and antioxidant properties were investigated with Iron, Fe (III) to Fe (II) reduction and DPPH radical scavenging capacity. Results: The results of chemical analysis revealed similarity between the three species in 20 compounds, the major compounds identified in essential oils were verbenol, (7.5 % and 11.51%) in A. sieberi and A. monosperma, β-caryophyllene oxide (1.25 % – 0.78%) and Methyl jasmonate (0.9 % and 1.21 %) in A. sieberi and A. judaica, respectively. While the major compound in A. judaica was Lilac alcohol C (9.6%) and camphor (4.5%). The antibacterial investigation exhibited significant and broad-spectrum antibacterial efficacy of A. monosperma and A. judaica against different strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Whereas, A. sieberi showed higher antibacterial efficacy against the gram-positive bacteria but weak or no effect against the Gram-negative bacteria. The results of the antioxidant investigation showed that A. sieberi present the higher reduction capacity with an IC₅₀ of 0.17 ± 0.03g/L, followed by A. judaica with an IC₅₀ of 0.58 ± 0.04g/L and A. monosperma with an IC₅₀ of 6.35 ± 0.41g/L. However, the reducing capacity of ascorbic acid and quercetin were 0.091 ± 0.002g/L and 0.026 ± 0.002g/L respectively. Conclusion: The present study revealed that the essential oils of A. sieberi, A. judaica and A. monosperma possesses significant antioxidant and antibacterial activity, which attributed to the plenty of varied chemical compounds in these medicinal plants.