Comparative study of the chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils of Senecio gallicus from Tunisia.

Abstract

The essential oils of flowers and remaining parts of the plant Senecio gallicus (Asteraceae), growing wild in Sfax (Tunisia), were obtained by hydrodistillation over a period of two years (2012 and 2013). Their analysis by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), led to a total number of 36 components, belonging to different classes of chemical compounds. Oils compositions were characterized by the abundance of monoterpenes hydrocarbons, the major compounds present in flowers for the two years of study were  respectively the sabinene (49.45% and 28.86%), the α-pinene (9.67% and 9.1%), and the β-myrcene (9.88% and 10.97%). These compounds were also dominant in the essential oils of the plant without flowers where they represent (65.34% and 55%) for the sabinene, (4.14% and 7.3%) for α-pinene, and (6.86% and 0%) for β-myrcene. Obtained essential oils were tested for many biological activities and showed a moderate effect against the fungus Trichoderma reesei and bacteria such as Bacillus sp and Staphylococcus aureus. This study of the Senecio gallicus essential oils represents the first one in Tunisia.