Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity ofArtemisia diffusaEssential Oil

Artemisia species are well known for their essential oil, so the present study was designed to evaluation of chemical compositions, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Artemisia diffusa essential oil. The inhibitory effect of the essential oil were analyzed against three pathogenic strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes using disk diffusion method. GC-MS analysis showed that the major compounds in essential oil were p-cymene (17.92 %), p-menth-2-en-1-ol (9.16 %) and Linalool (7.59 %). The results showed that A. diffusa essential oil exhibited weak antioxidant ability; furthermore the results of antibacterial assay indicated that the essential oil of plant had antibacterial activity against E. coli and L. monocytogenes. It may help to identify and develop new effective antimicrobial agent. Further study is needed to purify and characterize the active compounds. Antibacterial property of A. diffusa indicated that this plant has potential for use in aromatherapy and pharmacy.