Chemical composition and bioactive properties of Eucalyptus globulus L. essential oil
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Eucalyptus is a large genus of tall evergreen plants belonging to the Myrtaceae family that
comprises about 900 species and subspecies[1]. It is native to Australia but currently is planted all around the world being one of the most important tree for its several uses such as timber, pulp and essential oil[2]. In recent years, the demand of Eucalyptus sp. essential oil has significantly increased as it has been approved as a natural additive. It is widely used in food, flavor, pharmaceutical, and perfumery industries, thanks to its many biological properties, including antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties [3-4]. Eucalyptus sp. leaves in particular are rich in essential oil and its chemical composition depends on several factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic ones, such as environment and agronomic practices[5].
The aim of this work was to characterize the essential oil obtained from Eucalyptus globulus L. dry leaves and assessing its antioxidant (DPPH and reducing power), antimicrobial (microdilution method against pathogenic bacteria) and cytotoxic propertiesA conventional Clevenger apparatus was used to extract the essential oil by hydrodistillation for 3 h. The essential oil yield was 2.2 ± 0.3 %. The chemical composition of the oil was determinated by GC-MS analysis which enabled the identification of 94% of total compounds in common eucalyptus essential oil. The major compounds were eucalyptol, alpha-pinene, globulol, alpha-terpinyl acetate, alpha-terpineol and aromadendrene. From a qualitative point of view, the obtained results are in good agreement with the data available from the literature, considering the genetics and environment variations that may occur [5]. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging effect and reducing power. For DPPH assay an EC50 value of 145.5 ± 0.7 mg/mL was obtained, while for reducing power assay an EC50 value
of 3.0 ± 0.2 mg/mL was presented. Concerning the cytotoxic activity against four tumor cell lines (AGS - gastric, NI-H460 – lung, CaCo – colon and MCF-7- breast), the best results were revealed on the inhibition of the colon cancer cell line with GI50 value of 73 ± 5 μg/mL. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were tested against a large panel of several common food and clinical bacteria evidencing a wide spectrum antibacterial activity against the selected bacteria. A strong activity in a concentration range between 2.5 and 0.6 % was reported again Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes (clinical isolate), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) for clinical bacteria and again Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC), Enterobacter Cloacae, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus for food bacteria. Overall, the results revealed that essential oils from eucalyptus are a potential and natural source of bioactive substances for bio-based industries.
