Antimicrobial Activity and Mechanism of Essential Oil of Endemic Salvia hypargeia Finc. & Mey. in Turkey

In this study, the aerial parts of Salvia hypargeia were subjected to hydrodistillation and the resulting compounds were analyzed in GC-MS. Antimicrobial activity of S. hypargeia essential oil (EO) against A. baumannii , S. aureus , and C. tropicalis were determined by agar well diffusion assay and microdilution method. Antimicrobial mechanism of the EO were investigated based on change of TTC-dehydrogenase relative, leakages of intracellular protein, DNA and potassium ion (K +). The main components of the EO were β-pinene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-pinene, 4-terpineol, and 4-thujanol. The MICs of the EO against the microorganisms were 15.2 mg/mL for S. aureus, 17.5 mg/mL for C. tropicalis and 28.8 mg/mL for A. baumannii. The inhibition zones were 18.16 mm, 25.01 mm, and 27.01 mm for A. baumannii , S. aureus , and C. tropicalis, respectively ( p  < 0.05). An increase in DNA, protein and K + leakage was observed when microorganisms were exposed to the EO. The TTC-DRA of the treated microorganism cells was also significantly decreased because of slowing the respiration. The present study provided an experimental basis of practical application of S. hypargeia EO as a natural agent.