Chemical characterization and biological activity assessment of Atriplex halimus essential oil: exploring new avenues in pharmacology and medicine

The plant Atriplex halimus was the subject of the investigation. 99 volatile compounds were found in the essential oil after being analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The majority of these were E-anethole (13.9%), phytone (9.5%), carvone (6.0%), carvacrol (4.2%) and geranylacetone (3.0%). To assess the antioxidant potential of the essential oil, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (1,1-DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) tests were performed. The results showed that Atriplex halimus essential oil has significant antioxidant potential as well as the ability to reduce iron, as indicated by absorbance (A). At a concentration of 3 mg/ml, the essential oil reduces the DPPH radical by a maximum of 51.12%. The concentration needed to reduce the DPPH radical by 50%, was determined to be 28.20 mg/ml. The essential oil did, exhibit stronger antioxidant activity at lower concentrations than ascorbic acid, but not at higher concentrations. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) dilution method was used to test the antibacterial effects of Atriplex halimus essential oils against nine different bacterial strains. With an MIC range of 2.6 to 10.41 mg/ml and higher activity compared to gentamicin against some bacterial strains, the results demonstrated that the oils have significant antibacterial activity.