Variability of Chemical Compositions and Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Ruta chalepensis Leaf Essential Oils from Three Palestinian Regions

Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:2672689. doi: 10.1155/2017/2672689. Epub 2017 Nov 5. Jaradat N1, Adwan L2, K'aibni S3, Zaid AN1, Shtaya MJY4, Shraim N1, Assali M1. Author information 1 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, State of Palestine. 2 College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions, Birzeit University, P.O. Box 14, Birzeit, State of Palestine. 3 Center of Birzeit University Testing Laboratories, Birzeit University, P.O. Box 14, Birzeit, State of Palestine. 4 Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, State of Palestine. Abstract INTRODUCTION: Interest in essential oils was recently revived with their popularity increasing in medicine, pharmacy, and aromatherapy. This study was performed to identify the chemical compositions of the essential oil of Ruta chalepensis growing wildly in three regions in Palestine and to assess and compare their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. METHODS: Identification of the essential oil was performed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antimicrobial activity was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans by using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, while antioxidant activity was analyzed by using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. RESULTS: The essential oils of R. chalepensis from Jerusalem and Hebron regions have almost identical components; the major compounds identified were linalyl acetate and β-linalool; these essential oils exerted potential antioxidant and antibacterial activities. On the other hand, the major components of the plant essential oil from Jenin region were 2-undecanone and 2-nonanone, which exhibited potential antifungal activity. CONCLUSIONS: The phytoconstituents and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the essential oil of R. chalepensis from different regions in Palestine were established in this study. The obtained results indicate possible applications for R. chalepensis in the treatment of various infectious and noninfectious diseases. PMID: 29230405 PMCID: PMC5694611 DOI: 10.1155/2017/2672689 Free PMC Article