COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT EXTRACTION METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PITURANTHOS SCOPARIUS ESSENTIAL OILS: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES

The essential oils of Pituranthos Scoparius obtained by hydrodistillation (HD), microwave assisted extraction (MAE) and steam distillation (SD) were investigated for their chemical components, oil yield diversity and microbial activity. As a result of this investigation, the anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oils is reported here for the first time. The essential oils extracted from P. Scoparius were analyzed by GC/MS. Sixty-three compounds were identified, representing (87.69 %) in HD, (82.45 %) in MAE, and (88.94 %) in SD of the essential oils' total compositions. The predominant compounds identified were Dillapiol (16.38-37.21%), alpha-Pinene (0.48-10.84%) and Myristicin (4.21-9.37%). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was Identified using the disk diffusion method against seven bacteria strains and two yeasts. An appreciable antimicrobial activity was observed against sarcina lutea, and weak activity was observed against staphylococcus epidermidis, saccharomyces cerevisiae and candida albicans. The anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oils was Identified using the carrageenan induced edema method. The essential oils extracted by HD, MEA and SD showed an anti-inflammatory activity comparable to Diclofenac. The results reveal that the method of extraction of P. scoparius influences the chemical composition and anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oils.