Imane Tagnaout

Anethum graveolens is an aromatic plant traditionally used as an antispasmodic and carminative. The objective of this study is to analyze the chemical composition of the essential oils and extracts obtained from seeds gathered in Errachidia, southern Morocco. Additionally, the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of these oils and extracts will be evaluated. GC-MS analysis of the EO isolated by hydrodistillation revealed that its main compounds were E-anethole (38.13%), estragole (29.32%), fenchone (17.21%), and α-pinene (7.37%). The phenolic components were extracted using the methods of decoction and Soxhlet. The assay of the phenolic compounds showed that A. graveolens seeds contained considerable amounts of polyphenols, flavonoids, and condensed tannins, with variable levels depending on the extract analyzed. HPLC/UV-ESI-MS analyses performed on the decoction revealed a structural diversity of the molecules present in this extract, the most important of which were umbelliferone (12.35%), 3-hydroxyflavone (11.23%), rosmanol (8.95%), biotin (8.36%), emmotin H (4.91%), and coumarin (4.21%). The antioxidant activity, as determined by three techniques (DPPH•, FRAP, and CAT), demonstrated that the essential oils (EOs) and extracts had a potent capacity to counteract detrimental free radicals, control the generation of reactive oxygen species, and mitigate oxidative damages. The antimicrobial activity of the Eos and extracts was carried out in a liquid medium against five strains (E. cloacae, K. pneumoniae, E. coli, S. aureus, and S. epidermidis) and four candidiasis (C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, C. tropicalis, and C. parapsilosis) and Aspergillus niger. The results showed the effectiveness of the EOs compared to the aqueous, ethanolic, and decoction extracts against most of the microorganisms tested. In addition, the ethanolic extract showed antifungal activity that was distinguished from that of the other extracts. The antimicrobial efficacy of the essential oils under study can primarily be attributed to the synergistic interactions among its three principal constituents (E-anethole, estragole, and fenchone). Furthermore, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation results reveal significant interactions and stability between the selected bioactive compounds and different target proteins involved in antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Compounds like 3-hydroxyflavone, emmotin H, trans-caftaric acid, methyl rosmarinate, 1-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucose, and kaempferol exhibited better binding energies with the explored proteins, indicating their potential as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. Finally, our findings emphasize the significance of A. graveolens seeds as a promising reservoir of advantageous health compounds that can serve as organic substitutes for the presently employed synthetic preservatives.

The aim of this research is to profile the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) extracted from the aerial parts of Origanum elongatum (O. elongatum) and to evaluate its antioxidant, antibacterial and insecticidal activities on Ceratitis capitata adults. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) revealed a total of 27 constituents in EO of O. elongatum, which accounted for 99.08% of its constituents. Carvacrol (57.32%) was a main component, followed by p-cymene (14.70%) and γ-terpinene (9.84%). The antioxidant activity of O. elongatum EO was investigated using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant power), and TCA (the total antioxidant capacity) methods. This EO exhibited a remarkable antiradical and reducing power against DPPH (IC₅₀ = 2.855 ± 0.018μL/mL), FRAP (EC_0.5 = 0.124 ± 0.013µL/mL) and TCA (IC₅₀ = 14.099 ± 0.389 mg AAE/g of the EO). The antibacterial tests in vitro, using the disc and dilution methods, were carried out on nine pathogenic bacteria isolated from the hospital patients, such as Enterococcus faecalis, Serratia fonticola, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinétobacter baumannii, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae sensible, E.coli sensible, E.coli resistante, and Enterobacter aerogenes. The EO demonstrated a considerable antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) from 2 to 8 µL/mL against all strains except Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 32 µL/mL). Regarding the insecticidal activity, the fumigation test indicated a high efficacy (100% mortality), and a lethal dose of LD₅₀ = 17 ± 0.53 μL/L air was found after 24 h of exposureTherefore, O. elongatum EO could be utilized as a natural antioxidant, antibiotic and biopesticides.

The present work was aimed to study the toxicity of the essential oils of three aromatic and medicinal plants on the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta and the Medfly Ceratitis capitata as an alternative to conventional pesticides. We carried out a phytochemical and insecticide study of T. zygis L., S. officinalis L. and M. suaveolens Ehrh. essential oils (EOs) through the study of their chemical composition and their toxicity on C. capitata adults and T. absoluta larvae. The extraction of the EOs by hydrodistillation showed yields of 3.87 ± 0.03, 4.09 ± 0.23 and 4.35 ± 0.11 for T. zygis, S. officinalis L. and M. suaveolens Ehrh., respectively. The identification of the chemical composition of the EOs by GC/MS showed that oxygenated monoterpenes constituted the most abundant group for all the extracted EOs. The major compounds were rather diversified depending on plant species. In fact, the S. officinalis L. EO mainly contained trans-thujone (21.80 %), the M. suaveolens Ehrh. EO mainly contained piperitenone oxide (71.19%), and carvacrol (61.60%) was the main component of the T. zygis L. EO. An insecticidal effect was observed for the three studied EOs on C. capitata adults and T. absoluta larvae. The observed LD₅₀ values were 0.80 µL/mL and 11.04 µL/mL for M. suaveolens and S. officinalis, respectively, on T. absoluta larvae. For C. capitata adults, the obtained LD₅₀ values were 0.9 µL/mL and 11.78 µL/mL for M. suaveolens and T. zygis, respectively. The presented findings could contribute to the development of biopesticides for plants as a component of integrated pest management strategies in citrus and tomato crops.

Pistacia atlantica Desf. is a widely used plant species in the traditional medicine for its various pharmacological properties. The aim of this study is the valorisation of polyphenols and the antioxidant power of three organs from Pistacia atlantica Desf. (leaves, fruits, and bark). Phytochemical screening of secondary metabolites was performed using precipitation and coloring reactions. Total phenols, flavonoids, and condensed tannins were quantified, respectively, by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, the aluminum trichloride method, and the vanillin method. Evaluation of the antioxidant activity was made using two methods: DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power). The obtained results showed that the three organs of Pistacia atlantica are rich in total phenols, flavonoids, and condensed tannins. The highest contents of total phenols and flavonoids are recorded by the crude fruit extract, 723 mg EGA/gE and 34.57 mg EQ/gE, respectively, while the highest content of condensed tannins is recorded in the butanolic extract of the leaves (997.58 mg ECat/gE). The antioxidant activity of the three organs extracts from Pistacia atlantica Desf. confirmed their strong antiradical power, much higher than that of ascorbic acid and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole). Indeed, the concentration of the crude extract of P. atlantica leaves reducing 50% of the DPPH free radicals (IC₅₀) is 27.22 μg/ml. This concentration is much lower than those of ascorbic acid (31.44 μg/ml) and BHA (46.25 μg/ml). The antioxidant power using the FRAP method has also shown that the leaves extract of this species has a much higher reducing capacity of iron than those of the reference standards. A positive correlation between antioxidant capacities and flavonoids contents of leaves and fruits extracts was observed. The two methods (DPPH and FRAP) proved that the three organ extracts of Pistacia atlantica possess very remarkable antioxydant activity. These extracts could be exploited as natural antioxidants against the oxidation phenomenons and the oxidative stress in several fields (food, cosmetic, pharmaceutic, and others).

Plants of the Lamiaceae family are widely used for medicinal, cosmetic and culinary purposes. Phenolic compounds such as flavonoids and tannins are the main constituents of these plants; they have a proven multidirectional biological activity. Polyphenols have exceptional antioxidant potential, and they can intervene in the prevention of many health disorders. This work aims to study the composition and antioxidant power of phenolic compounds from crude extracts and fractions of Origanum elongatum leaves. This specie was subjected to phytochemical study through precipitation, turbidity and coloring reactions to highlight their secondary metabolites qualitative composition. Polyphenolic extraction was made by Soxhlet using two solvents: methanol 70%, ethanol 70%. Then, methanol’s crude was fractionated with solvents having escalating polarity; ethyl acetate, n-butanol. The polyphenols and flavonoids contents were spectrophotometrically estimated using Folin-Ciocalteau and Aluminum Trichloride methods. The antioxidant power of crude and fractionated extracts was evaluated by diphenyl-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH^●) and iron (FRAP) tests. The screening tests showed the existence of polyphenols, mucilages, sterols and triterpenes, oses and holosides. The highest yield of extraction is obtained by 70% methanol, with an average of 32.29%. Quantitative assays indicated that the hydroethanolic extract and the ethyl acetate fraction possessed high amount of polyphenols and flavonoids compared with other fractions and subsequently exhibited a marked scavenging activity on DPPH radical (IC₅₀ = 0,085±0,002 and 0,112±0,003 mg/ml, respectively) and high reductive ability on ferric ion assay with IC₅₀ = 0,181±0,004 mg/ml, 0,291±0,005 mg/ml, respectively.