Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils of Phagnalon sordidum (L.) Rchb. (Asteraceae) from Algeria

The essential oil constituents of aerial parts of Phagnalon sordidum (L.) Rchb. were analyzed by a combination of capillary gas chromatographic-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 125 constituents comprising 97.6 % of the total oil were identified. The volatile fraction was characterized by monoterpene hydrocarbons (51.4 %), oxygenated monoterpenes (10.4 %), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (18.0 %), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (6.0 %) and non-terpenic components (11.8 %). The predominant constituents identified were β-pinene (26.0 %), (E)-β-caryophyllene (10.0 %), limonene (8.5 %), myrcene (4.7 %), decanal (4.5 %), thymol (3.9 %), germacrene-D (3.8 %), and p-cymene (3.4 %). The antimicrobial activities of the essential oil evaluated against eleven bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhimurium were the most susceptible microorganisms with a minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) 0.01, 0.04, 0.04 mg/mL respectively. Additionally, the essential oil showed moderate radical scavenging and electron donating activity

Techno-economic Analysis of a Wind-Diesel Hybrid Power System in the South Algeria

The electrical energy is often produced with the help of diesel generators in isolated areas in the Saharan region. While the latter requiring relatively little investment because is generally expensive to exploit due to the transportation to remote areas adds extra cost, significant fuel consumption and relatively high maintenance cost, etc. Moreover, the electricity production by the diesel is ineffective, presents significant environmental risks. But these isolated areas have significant wind energy potential; which is good position for the exploitation of clean and sustainable wind energy. The use of wind-diesel power system is widely recommended especially to reduce fuel consumption and in this way to reduce system operating costs and environmental impact. The subject of this paper is to present the techno-economic analysis of a wind-diesel hybrid power system. In this context, the contribution envisaged with this research is to collaborate on the optimal design of a hybrid power system including a wind turbine generator, a diesel generator and an energy storage system for powering a continuous way an isolated site in the South Algerian installed power of 120 kW.This system has a high control strategy for the management of different power sources (wind, diesel, battery) that depending to weather conditions, especially wind speed values and the power demanded by the consumer load

In vitro Assessment of Two Species of the Genus Pinus Growing in Algeria for their Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity

A comparative study of the hydrodistilled oils of Pinus pinea L. and Pinus pinaster Aiton by GC and GC-MS was conducted. The combined essential oil of P. pinea was rich in limonene (56.5%), followed by α-pinene (6.5%) and β-phellandrene (6.2%). The major compounds from the combined essential oil of P. pinaster were: α-pinene (36.4%), β-pinene (12.3%) and (E)-β-caryophyllene (7.1%). The results showed that the oils have a great potential as antibiotics against some microorganisms: Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. The maximum zone of inhibition of P. pinea was obtained against Candida albicans (23 mm). Antioxidant capacity was assessed by in vitro testing using 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and significant activity was found for the various oils. These results suggested that essential oils of P. pinea and P. pinaster possess antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and could, therefore, present potential source of active ingredients for food and pharmaceutical industry

Analysis of trace-elements and toxic heavy metals in honeys from Tlemcen Province, north-western

Eighteen honeys collected from various botanical and geographical sources in Tlemcen Province (north-western Algeria) were studied to determine the presence of the following fifteen trace elements and heavy metals: K, Na, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, V,  Cr,  Co, As,   Cd, Pb and W. Element determination was performed by inductively  coupled  plasma- mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), after digestion, by concentrated nitric acid using microwave mineralizer. The most abundant minerals were K, Ca, Mg and Na ranging within 153-989 mg/kg, 33.1-377 mg/kg, 69.1-162 mg/kg and 13.3-146 mg/kg, respectively. Fe was the most abundant heavy metal followed by Mn, Zn and Cu while Cr, Co, V, W, As, Cd and Pb were the lowest trace elements detected at level < 1 mg/kg in the honey samples surveyed. The variation in the mineral content in the honey samples studied is probably due to geochemical and geographical differences. Multivariate methods were used in order to classify honey samples according to their mineral content. The present study revealed that honeys collected from the various beekeepers apiaries of Tlemcen Province were not contaminated with toxic trace elements and therefore poses no threat to consumers

Chemical Analysis of the Essential Oils of Three Cistus Species Growing in North-West of Algeria

The study reports for the first time the chemical composition and the antibacterial activity of the essential oil hydrodistilled from three Cistaceae growing in Algeria: Cistus ladaniferus L., C. albidus L. and C. monspeliensis L. The oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS analyses. The major components of C. ladaniferus were 5-epi-7-epi-α-eudesmol (13.6%) and borneol (12.5%) whereas for C. albidus the main constituents were epi-α-bisabolol (11.4%) and β-bourbonene (8.7%). Epi- 13-manoyl oxide (28.6%), kaur-16-ene (8.1%) and nonanal (5.4%) were the principal ones for C. monspeliensis. In vitro, antimicrobial activity of the oils was investigated against nine microorganisms by disk diffusion and agar dilution assays. The Gram-positive bacteria resulted sensitive to the three oils, especially Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. The volatiles of C. monspeliensis showed the best activity compared with other oils, comparable to or better than Gentamicin, a conventional antibiotic used as positive control in this study. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of the oil was 0.25µg/L

Evidence-based antifungal potential of some traditional medicinal plants, from the Bechar region (Southwest Algeria)

The development of more effective and less toxic antifungal agents is required for the treatment of several ailments. In this research, the antifungal activity of the crude aqueous and hydromethanolic extracts of nine medicinal plant, frequently used in the local traditional medicine in the Bechar region (southwest Algeria), was evaluated, using the radial growth method on solid medium, against seven fungal pathogens isolated from local wheat, toasted and green Coffee beans. The results of the antifungal potency revealed that the hydromethanolic extract of Rhus tripartita and the aqueous extract of Traganum nudatum were the best to suppress the growth of Aspergillus nidulans (77 and 66% respectively), followed by the hydromethanolic extract of Haloxylon scoparia red (63%). Whereas, the aqueous extract of Traganum nudatum was found to be the best to inhibit the growth of Penicillium oxalicum (60%) compared to the other extracts. Lesser activities were recorded for the hydromethanolic extract of Andropogon nardus (0%) and the aqueous extract of Globularia vulgaris (1%) against Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus ochracus respectively. The selected plant extracts can serve as potential sources of new antifungal agents that may be of great use for the development of pharmaceutics against various diseases

Evidence-based antifungal potential of some traditional medicinal plants, from the Bechar region (Southwest Algeria)

68-73The development of more effective and less toxic antifungal agents is required for the treatment of several ailments. In this research, the antifungal activity of the crude aqueous and hydromethanolic extracts of nine medicinal plant, frequently used in the local traditional medicine in the Bechar region (southwest Algeria), was evaluated, using the radial growth method on solid medium, against seven fungal pathogens isolated from local wheat, toasted and green Coffee beans. The results of the antifungal potency revealed that the hydromethanolic extract of Rhus tripartita and the aqueous extract of Traganum nudatum were the best to suppress the growth of Aspergillus nidulans (77 and 66% respectively), followed by the hydromethanolic extract of Haloxylon scoparia red (63%). Whereas, the aqueous extract of Traganum nudatum was found to be the best to inhibit the growth of Penicillium oxalicum (60%) compared to the other extracts. Lesser activities were recorded for the hydromethanolic extract of Andropogon nardus (0%) and the aqueous extract of Globularia vulgaris (1%) against Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus ochracus respectively. The selected plant extracts can serve as potential sources of new antifungal agents that may be of great use for the development of pharmaceutics against various diseases

Acanthus mollis L. Grown in Algeria Exhibits Potent Antioxidant Activity

This research aimed to evaluate for the first time the chemical composition and antioxidant potential of volatile fraction and different concentrates obtained from Acanthus mollis L.. The volatile components from the aerial parts of A. mollis were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. Twenty-four compounds were characterized, representing 94.5% of the oil. The dominant compounds were hexahydrofarnesylacetone (52.4%), pulegone (15.0%) and spathulenol (4.5%), followed by appreciable amounts of menthone (2.8%), borneol (2.7%) and 2-hydroxy-5-methylacetophenone (2.0%). The Folin-Ciocalteu, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were used to evaluate the total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of plant extracts, respectively. Quantitative estimation of total phenols content by a colorimetric method showed that extracts were rich in these compounds, with a significant difference between samples. Total phenols varied from 0.0725 to 1.217 (mg GAE g-1 dry weight). The percentages of DPPH inhibition were between 60.05 and 91.80%, while ascorbic acid gave 93.54%. The IC50 values ranged from 3.066 to 3421 μg.mL-1 for DPPH. The water extract of A. mollis was the most active (IC50 = 3.066 ± 0.02 μg.mL-1) compared to the other extracts. In addition, the volatile fraction of A. mollis exhibited a weak antioxidant capacity

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils from the Aerial Parts of Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk.) Less. and Pulicaria incisa (Lam.) DC.: Two Asteraceae Herbs Growing Wild in the Hoggar

In recent years, antimicrobial activities of essential oils have been intensively explored, mainly in researching and developing new antimicrobial agents to overcome microbial resistance. The present study investigates the chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of essential oils obtained from two Asteraceae: Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk.) Less. and Pulicaria incisa (Lam.) DC. Chemical analysis was performed using a combination of capillary GC-FID and GC/MS analytical techniques. The major component of Asteriscus graveolens were cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (31.1%), myrtenyl acetate (15.1%) and kessane (11.5%), while for Pulicaria incisa the main components were chrysanthenone (45.3%) and 2,6-dimethylphenol (12.6%). The oils obtained from the aerial parts were tested against sixteen microbial strains by agar well diffusion technique and dilution methods and showed minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in the range of 19-1250 μg/mL. A good antibacterial activity against a common nosocomial pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 was observed, especially from Pulicaria incisa essential oil, with a MIC value up to 19 μg/mL. These results give significant information about the pharmacological activity of these essential oils, which suggest their benefits to human health, having the potential to be used for medical purposes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved