Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Tanacetum spp. Essential Oil and Chemical Components

The members of the genus Tanacetum are important medicinal plants. This study investigated the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of Tanacetum lingulatum and Tanacetum polycephalum essential oils on human infectious bacteria.

The aerial part of two plants were collected from Urmia Province, Iran. The essential oils were extracted using a Clevenger device. The antibacterial effect of essential oils was determined using the disc diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) by serial dilution method. Also, free radical scavenging activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was examined. Chemical composition was measured using the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS).

The major constituents in T. polycephalum and T. lingulatum essential oils were 1,8- cineole and camphor, respectively. The highest sensitivity (MIC of 0.312 μg mL- ( was observed with T. polycephalum against Bacillus subtilis. The lowest IC50 (most potent radical scavenging activity) belonged to T. lingulatum essential oil. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes showed resistance to T. lingulatum essential oil.

The essential oil of T. polycephalum and T. lingulatum are potential natural antibacterials to treat human pathogenic bacteria and can be used as alternatives to produce antimicrobial agents.