Journal d'horticulture
Libre accès
ISSN: 2376-0354
ISSN: 2376-0354
Layal Anka*, Hamid Bou Saab, Hassan Ramma and Ahmad Kobeissi
The essential oils and defatted ethanolic extracts obtained from Cupressus sempervirens L. leaves collected from two geographically distinct regions in Lebanon (Beit El-Dein: mountain and Jbeil: sea-side) were analyzed for their chemical composition using GC/MS and phytochemical screening. These were then tested for their in-vitro antibacterial and anti-oxidant potentials. Many terpenoids have been detected in the essential oils at various percentages with α-pinene and δ-3-carene being the major constituents. Regarding the anti-oxidant potential study, the ethanolic extracts were able to effectively reduce DPPH which was strongly correlated with the high phenol and flavonoid content of these extracts. Regarding the anti-bacterial activity, essential oils exhibited a stronger potential mainly towards Gram-positive bacteria compared to the ethanolic extracts as shown by the disc-diffusion assay and minimal inhibitory concentration assay. The results obtained from this study reveal that the extracts of Lebanese Cypress leaves may be used as a good source of natural food preservatives and as drugs for various ailments.