Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) have been described as promising eco-friendly secondary products of aromatic plants with several biological activities. The present study aimed to characterize the chemical composition and explore phytotoxic and antimicrobial activities ofTeucrium poliumandThymus decussatusEOs extracted using hydrodistillation (HD) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) methods. Twenty-seven and twenty-eight compounds were identified from HD and MAE extracted EOs ofT. polium, respectively. The oxygenated sesquiterpenes (57.68%) were characterized as the main components of the hydrodistilled EO with a prominence of 6-epi-shyobunol (33.00%), while sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (54.48%) were the main components of the MAE method, with a prominence of delta-cadinene (25.13%). Eighteen and nineteen compounds, were characterized inT. decussatusEOs extracted using HD and MAE methods, respectively, and oxygenated monoterpenes represented the main components of both EOs with carvacrol (94.40% and 75.91%, respectively) as the main compound. The EOs extracted using the MAE method were slightly more phytotoxic than those extracted using the HD method. TheT. decussatusEO extracted using the MAE method showed a higher inhibitory effect thanT. poliumby 16-, 32-, and 24-fold, regarding seed germination, shoot, and root growth of lettuce, respectively. Moreover, EOs extracted by HD method showed a similar pattern with 16-, 28-, and 14-fold effects. BothT. decussatusEOs exhibited potent inhibitory effect against all tested bacteria with an inhibition zone of 34-39 mm and the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.49, 0.98, and 1.95 mu g/mL againstAspergillus niger,Escherichia coli,andStaphylococcus aureus, respectively. However, the EOs ofT. poliumshowed weak antibacterial activity and no antifungal effect. Further studies are needed for the characterization of bioactive major compounds, either singular or synergistic, at field scale and to determine their modes of action and safety.