Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) spreng. essential oil, growing in Illizi - Algeria

Hydrodistilled volatile oil obtained from the aerial parts of Cymbopogon schoenanthus cultivated near Illizi, Algeria, was analyzed by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Gas Chromatography – Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). More than twenty compounds were identified, representing 94.636% of the total oil. The major constituents of essential oil were piperitone (63.35%), β-eudesmol (9.305%) and elemol (6.915%). Isolated essential oil was tested for radical-scavenging ability using the stable 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, the 2,2'-azino-bis (ABTS) radical and for reducing power ability with a test based on the reduction of ferric cations (FRAP). In all tests, oil did not show a prominent antioxidant activity. The screening of antimicrobial activity of oil was individually evaluated against representatives of gram-positive, gram-negative bacteria and fungi, using the agar diffusion method. All tested microorganisms were inhibited by the essential oil of C. schoenanthus.   Key words: C. schoenanthus, essential oil, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity.