Anthriscus nemorosa (Bieb.) Sprengel (Umbelliferae) is a nitrophile pererurial with a long, stout root. This plant occurs in the temperate area of Eurasia [l], from ltaly on the west to Japan on the East. The species is a member of A. sylvestris (L.) Hoffm. complex [2]. In Serbia, it usually inhabits the shady herbaceous layer in thermophilous forests and underbrush vegetation at the lower altitudes. It prefers moderately wet, steep, stony and eroded slopes. From methanol extract of the roots of A. nemorosa two lignan lactones (savinin, and nemerosin) were isolated [3].
We investigated composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from the roots of this plant.
Plant material was collected in Sićevača gorge (E. Serbia), in July 2007. The essential oil was isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The roots yielded 0.2% w/w of light yellow oil with aromatic smell. The main constituents of the oil were: n-nonane (12.1%), n-hexadecanol (6.9%), δ-cadinene (6.4%), β-pinene (6.0%) and germacrene D (5.4%). The essential oil from roots of A. nemorosa differed from the root oil of the closely related species A. sylvestris (L.) Hoffm. which was dominated by β-phellandrene (45.4%), Z-β-ocimene (16.9%), and α-pinene (4.6%) [4].
The microbial growth inhibitory properties of isolated essential oil were determined using the broth microdilution method [5] against Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and a yeast
Candida albicans (ATCC 10259 and ATCC 24433). The best inhibitory effect was detected against B. subtilis (MIC 6.25 µg/ml) and C. albicans (ATCC 10259) (MIC 50 µg/ml).
References: [1] Nikolić, V. (1973): Anthriscus Pers. In: Josifović, M. (ed.): Flora SR Srbije 5: 334-338. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, Beograd.; [2] Cannon, J.F.M. (1968): Anthriscus Pers. In: Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M., Webb, D.A. (eds): Flora Europaea 2: 326. University Press, Cambridge.; [3] Turabelidze, D.G., Mikaya, G.A., Kemertelidze, Vul"fson, N.S. (1982) Bioorg. Khim. 8: 695-701.; [4] Bos, R., Koulman, A., Woerdenbag, H.J., Quax, W.J., Pras, N. (2002) J. Chromatogr. A 966: 233-238.; [5] Candan, F., Unlq M., Tepe, 8., Daferera, D., Polissiou, M., Sdkmen, A., Akpulat, A. (2003) J. Ethnopharmacol. 87: 215-220.The 80th anniversary of the publication of Turrill’s “Plant life of the Balkan peninsula
