Antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Artemisia L. species from western Anatolia

Artemisia L. taxa (A. absinthium L., A. arborescens L., A. campestris L., A. scoparia Waldst. & Kit., A. santonicum L., and A. vulgaris L.) naturally distributed through western and southwestern Turkey were chosen as experimental materials in this study. Essential oils of the aerial parts of these Artemisia species were isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major components were identified as sabinene in A. absinthium (17.56%), camphor in A. arborescens (33.39%), 1,2-dehydro acenaphthylene in A. campestris and A. scoparia (20.71% and 11.80%, respectively), and a-thujone in A. vulgaris and A. santonicum (56.13% and 39.46%, respectively). Essential oils and methanolic extracts of the plants were tested for antimicrobial activity using the disk-diffusion method against 8 bacteria and 1 fungus. Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive bacteria to all of the essential oils. A. santonicum and A. scoparia were the most active plants against Candida albicans, with 35-mm and 40-mm diameter zones, respectively. Antioxidant capacities of the plants were also tested. The radical scavenging activity of A. scoparia extract (48.51%) and essential oil (80.08%), the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of A. campestris extract (10.76 +/- 0.47), and the a-tocopherol equivalent of A. absinthium extract (5.87 +/- 0.17) were the highest results.