Biological activity and chemical composition of essential oils from the leaves of Myrtus communis L

Abstract

Common myrtle (Myrtus communis L., Myrtaceae) is an evergreen shrub. The genus Myrtus includes flowering plants and was previously thought to be represented by approximately 16 taxa in the areas of the Middle East and Asia [1]. It has been used for medicinal, food and spice purposes since ancient times. The essential oil is used as an antiseptic, disinfectant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory agent [2,3].

                In the present work, M. communis leaf essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus. The essential oil was analyzed by both GC-FID and GC-MS. α-Pinene (43.1%) and linalool (18.8%) were found to be the main constituents. The oil was evaluated for its toxicity (Caenorhabditis elegans), antileishmanial and antimicrobial activities. The IC₅₀ value was 2.5 mg/mL against Leishmania tropica promastigotes. The following MIC values were determined: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 : 20 mg/mL; Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 13615 : 5 mg/mL; Candida albicans ATCC 90028 : 10 mg/mL; and Escherichia coli NRRL B-3008 : 1.25 mg/mL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the in vivo selectivity of M. communis leaf essential oil against Leishmania tropica.