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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF CENTAUREA RUPESTRIS VOLATILE COMPOUNDS

Centaurea genus comprises around 400 up to 700 species. Centaurea rupestris L. (Asteraceae), endemic species, is a perennial or biennial herbaceous plant growing in sunny habitats along the Mediterranean region. Some Centaurea species are used in a traditional medicine for treatment of malaria, peptic ulcer, Herpes labialis, colds, dyspepsia, abscesses, hemorrhoids and some gastrointestinal disorders. Volatile oils (VO) of Centraurea are poorly researched. The volatile oil of Centaurea rupestris was obtained by hidrodistillation from aerial plant parts. Volatile oil was tested for its antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative opportunistic pathogenic bacteria and fungi, using disc-diffusion and microdilution assays. The chemical analysis of VO, performed using GC and GC-MS, found 32 compounds, distributed into terpene and nonterpene compound groups. Germacrene D, heptacosane, phytol, β-caryophylene and pentacosane were dominant compounds. The antimicrobial assay of C. rupestris VO was the first testing of this kind. It exhibited inhibitory potential against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis. The oil showed inhibition potential of fungal growth on all tested fungi Penicillium funiculosum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Good biological activity of Centaurea essential oils is usually connected with the dominant compounds present in essential oils. Based on literature data, we speculate that the significant antifungal and antibacterial activity of C. rupestris VO is due to its chemical composition. Presence of high amount of sesquiterpene germacrene D or phytol, as one of oil's main constituents may have significant impact in antimicrobial activitiy. As germacrene D is not available as a pure compound, isolation and testing of this potentially bioactive component is of great interest.

Centaurea rupestris, essential oil, antimicrobial activity

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