Chemical composition, antioxidant/antibacterial activities and ADMET study of the essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Ziziphora hispanica grown in Morocco

The present study aimed to characterize the chemical composition and evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities along with the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity (ADMET) study of the essential oil of Ziziphora hispanica (ZH-EO), collected from the Middle Atlas of Morocco (Boulmane). Results showed that a total of 119 volatile components, characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS analysis, which represents the 88.7% of the total of ZH-EO. ZH-EO displayed a bactericidal effect against Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis, and a bacteriostatic effect against Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, ZH-EO exhibited strong antioxidant activity against DPPH radical (IC50 = 1.3 mg/mL). The ADMET prediction showed good pharmacokinetic properties of the tested components. The findings obtained from this study suggest that Ziziphora hispanica essential oil could represent a source of bioactive molecules with antioxidant and antibacterial potential in the prevention against diseases related to oxidative stress and pathogenic bacteria.