Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils from Aromatic Plants Grown in the Mediterranean Area

The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils isolated from four Lamiaceae [Thymbra capitata (L) Cav., Origanum vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietsw., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Satureja cuneifolia Ten.] harvested at three different vegetative stages, spontaneously growing in the South of Puglia, towards Gram-(+)ve and Gram-(-)ve bacteria and pathogenic yeasts were evaluated. The four oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC/MS, and exhibited similarities and differences with respect to data reported in the literature. Specifically, T capitata and O. vulgare subsp. hirtum oils were. found to be rich in thymol (60.9-67.5% and 29.8-56.8%, respectively) and R. officinalis oil had large amounts of 1,8-cineole (8.0-51.3%) and alpha-pinene (3.9-31.4%). The composition of the oil of S. cuneifolia varied most of all, its main Constituents being linalool (9.6-32.7%), borneol (12.9-24.0%)and alpha-pinene (9.5-11.7%). Each of the oils was found to possess some antimicrobial properties using the agar diffusion method. The effectiveness and behavioral specificity varied from one species to another, and within each species, in relation to the vegetative period and the microorganism tested. The most effective oils were those of O. vulgare subsp. hirtum kind T capitata. The latter wits also biologically active towards P. aeruginosa which was not sensitive to either R. officinalis or S. cuneifolia oils.