STUDY OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTION OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM STEMS OF ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS L. (LAMIACEAE)

Full Text

Rosmarinus officinalis is the representative of Lamiaceae family. Rosmarinus is a perennial evergreen plant with a fragrant spicular leaves. Rosmarinus leaves are broadly used in the traditional medicine and cosmetics. They are used as flavor additives in food as well. Essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis and the drugs on its basis are used in medicine as antibacterial, cytostatic, antimutagenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agents [10]. It is known that biological activity of an essential oil depends on its blend composition. Different ecological and geographic conditions of the growing influence the chemical composition of plants and essential oils in its composition, because some compounds may be accumulated in a certain vegetation of a plant in response on the environmental conditions. Essential oil of a plant, gathered in different places of growth in different term materials is characterized by a certain quantitative and qualitative componential analysis, and consequently may influence different types and degrees of biologic activity [6, 8, 9]. The scientists from the research laboratory for the food quality in Tunisia carried out the study for the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Rosmarinus, cultivated in Tunisia. During experiments they used microorganisms, which were the most frequent coliform organisms including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus feacalis, Salmonella typhimurium. According to the results the Rosmarinus essential oil showed the prospects of its use in food and pharmaceutical industry as a safe and economically efficient natural preservative to substitute synthetic food additives [8]. Microbiological researches of essential oil form the samples of local Rosmarinus officinalis raw materials, carried out by the Tunisian Pharmaceutical Institute with a method of inhibition zones determination and minimal inhibiting concentration in the relation to 16 pathogenic microbial strains, showed a signified activity of the Rosmarinus essential oils against the Staphylococcus aureus, epidermal staphylococcus, and Staphylococcus aureus 25923, there was a significant slowing down of zones 38.00, 29.40 and 26.00 mm respectively [9]. Pakistani researchers carried out the investigations of qualitative and quantitative composition of Rosmarinus essential oil, gathered in Pakistan. The studies showed that 1,8-cineol was the basic component of the essential oil determining the signified antibacterial activity against the microorganisms like Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella poona, Escherichia coli [10]. Therefore, the study for the antimicrobial action of the Rosmarinus essential oil, introduced in the region of Caucasian Mineral Waters was of a great interest. Rosmarinus officinalis sprouts were gathered in the Botanical garden of Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute. Essential oil was obtained by using hydrodistillation, described in SP XI [1]. Microbiological studies were carried out in the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Salekhard). Seven strains of microorganisms were used: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mutans, Pseudamonas aeruginosa. Nutrient agar 1.5% was the growth medium. Temperature controlling regime for all the cultures was equal to 37°С±1°С within 18-24 hours. A suspension of as-grown colonies of microorganisms, suspended in a physiological solution up to 0.5 (minimum) and 3.0 (maximum) concentration by the McFarland scale was used as an inoculum [3]. Suspension was streaked as a lawn in the growth medium (smeared with a pallet on the surface of the growth medium). Then, bacterial loop d-0.1 mm of the essential oil under study was placed into the center of Petri dishes and exposed to the temperature controlling in the pointed out regime. The results are shown in the table 1. Thus, the Rosmarinus essential oil is the most signified antimicrobial activity of oil in relation to Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, less to Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, antibacterial activity of the Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil in relation to Streptococcus mutans exhibited in concentration of 3.0 (maximum) by the McFarland scale, (in all cases there was a bactericidal action). There was no antimicrobial action to the testing cultures of Pseudamonas aeruginosa and Proteus vulgaris microorganisms.

About the authors

Z. M Tohsirova

Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute - branch of Volgograd State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: zayka.tohsyrova@mail.ru
Pyatigorsk

A. S Nikitina

Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute - branch of Volgograd State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: lina_nikitina@mail.ru
Pyatigorsk

O. I Popova

Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute - branch of Volgograd State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Pyatigorsk

References

Supplementary files