Antimicrobial activity and chemical constitutions of West Anatolian olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves

The aqueous extract of olive leaves was tested for their antimicrobial activity. This extract remarkably inhibited the growth of all tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria except for Bacillus cereus CCM 99, Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 13048 and Enterobacter cloacae ATCC 13047. The chemical constitutions of this extract were analyzed by GC/MS. GC/MS analysis of the extract resulted in the identification of fifteen constituents, representing 99.68% of the extracts; cyclotrisiloxane hexamethyl (36.98%), cyclotetrasiloxane octamethyl (15.18%) and cyclopentasiloxane decamethyl (14.59%) being the main components. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study on the olive leaves extract from West Anatolia, Turkey. The extract composition and the observed antibacterial properties show that the West Anatolian olive leaves have potential for use in aromatherapy and pharmacy.