Essential oil composition, free-radical-scavenging and antibacterial effect from leaves of Myrtus communis in Tunisia

This study was designed to examine the chemical composition, the antioxidant activity as well as the antibacterial activity of the essential oil and various extracts of Myrtus Communis. Essential oil, obtained by steam distillation, was analyzed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry technique (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity of the essential oil and Myrtus communis various extracts were determined by DPPH. GCMS analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 24 compounds; representing 98.7% of the oil, and α-pinene (44.1%), 1,8-cineole (36%) and limonene (5.5%), constituted the major compounds. The antioxidant activity (IC50=70 μg/mL) of the methanolic extract was the highest in comparison with the other extracts. The antibacterial activity was tested against six bacteria. All extracts exhibited antibacterial activities against gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis. Based on these results, Myrtus Communis could be used as a new source of antioxidant and antibacterial compounds.