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Abstract
The main aim of this work was to determine the chemical composition of essential oil from aerial parts and to evaluate potential antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oil and deodorized extracts of Helichrysum italicum. The gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques revealed the highest amount of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (37.88 %), with neryl-acetate (20.44 %), γ-curcumene (14.08 %) and trans-α-bergamotene (6.99 %) as the main components. Total phenolic contents of tested extracts were determined by Folin-Ciocalteau assay and gallic acid was used as a standard. The highest phenolic concentration was measured in deodorised aqueous extract. The radical scavenging activity of the samples was evaluated by means of DPPH radicals. In this test, deodorised aqueous extract possessed the highest antioxidant effect (IC50 = 0.35 mg/ml), followed by deodorized methanol extract, while essential oil had the lowest scavenging activity. All samples were assessed by microdilution method and minimal inhibitory, bactericidal and fungicidal concentrations (MICs/MBCs/MFCs) were obtained using pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The oil and deodorized extracts showed better antibacterial than antifungal activity. The most sensitive bacteria were Bacillus cereus and Salmonella typhimurium, while among fungi it was yeast, Candida albicans. Given results suggest that essential oil and deodorized extracts possess valuable biological potential.