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Planta Med 2014; 80(18): 1698-1705
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1383182
Biological and Pharmacological Activity
Original Papers
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Antimicrobial, Antioxidative, and Insect Repellent Effects of Artemisia absinthium Essential Oil

Tatjana Mihajilov-Krstev
1   Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
,
Boris Jovanović
2   Chair for Fish Diseases and Fisheries Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Jovana Jović
1   Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
,
Budimir Ilić
3   Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
,
Dragoljub Miladinović
3   Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
,
Jelena Matejić
3   Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
,
Jelena Rajković
1   Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
,
Ljubiša Đorđević
1   Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
,
Vladimir Cvetković
1   Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
,
Bojan Zlatković
1   Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 05 August 2014
revised 12 September 2014

accepted 15 September 2014

Publication Date:
15 October 2014 (online)

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Abstract

In this paper, the chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oil of Artemisia absinthium was studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of ethnopharmacological uses of this plant species in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and wounds, and as an insect repellent. The aerial part of the plant was hydrodistilled, and the chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Forty-seven compounds, corresponding to 94.65 % of the total oil, were identified, with the main constituents being sabinene (24.49 %), sabinyl acetate (13.64 %), and α-phellandrene (10.29 %). The oil yield was 0.23 % (v/w). The antimicrobial activity of the oil was investigated against ten bacterial isolates (from patients wounds and stools) and seven American Type Culture Collection strains using a microwell dilution assay. The minimal inhibitory/bactericidal concentration of the oil ranged from < 0.08 to 2.43 mg/mL and from 0.08 to 38.80 mg/mL, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical-scavenging methods and assessed as significant. Skin irritation potential and acute toxicity of the oil were also investigated. Results of the skin irritant reaction showed that none of the 30 volunteers developed a positive skin irritant reaction to undiluted A. absinthium essential oil. Acute oral exposure to the essential oil did not cause mortality in the treated mice, but it did cause neurological, muscle, and gastrointestinal problems. A subchronic toxicity test on Drosophila melanogaster showed that the essential oil of A. absinthium is toxic for developing insect larvae. Starting with the concentration of 0.38 % of essential oil in medium, significant mortality of larvae exposed to the oil was noted when compared to the control. Probit analysis revealed that the LC50 value of A. absinthium essential oil for D. melanogaster larvae after 15 days of exposure was 6.31 % (49 mg/mL). The essential oil also affected the development of D. melanogaster larvae and significantly delayed achievement of the pupa stadium.

Key words

Artemisia absinthium - Compositae - essential oil - antimicrobial activity - antioxidative activity - skin irritation - toxicity

Supporting Information

 

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