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. 2020 Oct 16;10(10):414.
doi: 10.3390/metabo10100414.

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Capacities of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil from the Arid Andean Region of Chile and its Chemical Characterization by GC-MS

Mario J Simirgiotis  1 , Daniel Burton  2 , Felipe Parra  2 , Jéssica López  3 , Patricio Muñoz  2   4 , Hugo Escobar  2 , Claudio Parra  2
Affiliations

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Capacities of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil from the Arid Andean Region of Chile and its Chemical Characterization by GC-MS

Mario J Simirgiotis et al. Metabolites. .

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial properties of oregano (Origanum vulgare) essential oil, as well as its chemical composition. To our best knowledge, there are few studies on oregano grown in the arid Andes region, but none on the metabolites produced and their bioactivity. This work identified fifty metabolites by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)-monoterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes, phenolic monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and oxygenated sesquiterpenes-present in the essential oil of oregano collected in the Atacama Desert. The main components of essential oregano oil were thymol (15.9%), Z-sabinene hydrate (13.4%), γ-terpinene (10.6%), p-cymene (8.6%), linalyl acetate (7.2%), sabinene (6.5%), and carvacrol methyl ether (5.6%). The antibacterial tests showed that the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica and the phytopathogenic bacteria Erwinia rhapontici and Xanthomonas campestris were the most susceptible to oregano oil, with the lowest concentrations of oil necessary to inhibit their bacterial growth. Moreover, oregano oil showed antibacterial activity against bacteria associated with food poisoning. In conclusion, O. vulgare from the arid Andean region possesses an important antibacterial activity with a high potential in the food industry and agriculture.

Keywords: GC-MS; Putre; antibacterial activity; antioxidant activity; essential oil; oregano.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of the main compounds present in the essential oil of O. vulgare from Putre, Chile.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Inhibitory activity (mm) of O. vulgare essential oil against pathogens and five phytopathogenic bacteria. (■) oregano; (■) kanamycin positive control. (b) Paper disk diffusion assay of oregano essential oil against Escherichia coli. Disk O: oregano oil; disk +: kanamycin positive control; disk −: ethanol negative control.
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