CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM FIVE POPULATIONS OF THYMUS PULEGIOIDES L.

Knowing that the species of the Thymus genus present important therapeutic properties, in this paper we aim to analyze the essential oils from five spontaneous populations of Thymus pulegioides L. in order to identify populations with potential therapeutic value. For this purpose, essential oils were extracted by hydro-distillation, using a NeoClevenger type apparatus according to the European Pharmacopoeia standards. The separation and the identification of the components were carried out using GC-MS (gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry). Antibacterial testing was performed on two test microorganisms, Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, using the diffusion method and the microplate method. With respect to the chemical composition of the essential oils, there were significant qualitative and quantitative differences. It was also noted that all essential oils inhibited the growth and development of the two test microorganisms used.