Essential oil composition and Antifungal activity of Artemisia Persica Boiss. in compare to synthetic Borneol against the Aspergillus niger

The 1,8-cineol and borneol are the most secondary metabolites from the Artemisia persica Boiss. Essential oil which have antimicrobial and antifungal properties. In this study due to this aim, the aerial parts of Artemisia persica Boiss. at pre-flowering stage (PF) were collected from Kerman region in June 1394. The essential oil was extracted by water distillation (Clevenger's apparatus) and was analyzed by GC/MS. The antifungal effect of this essential oil against Aspergillus strain growth was investigated by using agar wells by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zone, MIC value was also evaluated by a microdilution method. The results were showed that the essential oil yield (v/w) was 1.55% with 39 compounds which identified in plant essential oil, the borneol (32.8%), 1,8-cineol (18.3%), camphor (8.64%) and camphene (6.75%) were the main compounds of this plant oil, respectively. The essential oil with dilutions 1 and 1/2 has significant inhibitory power on the strain of Aspergillus niger in compare to the fluconazole antibiotic. The borneol with 10% dilution also had a significant inhibitory effect on Aspergillus niger’s growth. The antifungal effects of essential oil can be attributed to the high percentage of borneol and 1,8-cineol present in it. According to these results it can be argued that the essential oil of this plant can be used as an herbal medicine with an appreciable antifungal effect, and also it’s could be used in various food, health and pharmaceutical industries.