Sesquiterpenes from Pistacia lentiscusL. as potential antibacterial, antifungal and allelopathic agents

ABSTRACTThe present study investigated the antibacterial, antifungal and allelopathic activities of Pistacia lentiscusessential oils (EOs) isolated at the vegetative, flowering and fructification stages. The chemical composition of EOs varied according to both the phenological stages and the used mix plant parts. The main chemical class was sesquiterpene hydrocarbons with the predominance of germacrene D, δ-cadinene and β-caryophyllene. The antibacterial activity was evaluated against five collection strains. At the vegetative stage, P. lentiscusEO was the most effective against Listeria monocytogenesand Echerchia colias compared to the other stages. P. lentiscusEO also exhibited significant antifungal activity against the phytopathogenic strain Botrytis cinerea. Microscopic observation showed that EO induced swelling and crumbling of B. cinereaconidia. Moreover, P. lentiscusEO at the vegetative stage possessed significant allelopathic activity by inhibiting low concentration the germination and radical elongation of Raphanus sativusand radical elongation of Lepidium sativum.