Evaluation of Anti-bacterial potential of Uttarakhand Timru (Zanthoxylum armatum DC) Essential oil

Bacterial infections are the most common cause of death in developing countries due to improper hygiene and consumption of contaminated food. Although, there are plethora of antibiotics available but the side effects of their use and problem of antibiotic resistance provoke the scientific community to find alternative options. In recent years, the trend of antibacterial research has bended towards the natural compounds, extracts and essential oil due to their promising efficacy and less toxicity. We therefore, in the present study isolated the essential oil from the seed of Z. armatum commonly known as Timur plant which has been used in traditional setting to treat various ailments. The isolated essential oil was screened out for its chemical composition and anti-bacterial activity. The results of GC-MS analysis revealed that linalool (32.53%), limonene (27.15%) and trans-Methyl cinnamate (19.32%) were the predominant active component together with other components. Furthermore, we conducted zone of inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays to assess the antibacterial properties of essential oil extracted from Timur seeds against four different bacteria strains: E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and B. cereus. The results of our research clearly indicate that Timur seed essential oil exhibits a robust and potent antibacterial effect against all of the tested bacterial strains. Based on our findings, we propose that Timur seed essential oil has the potential to be employed as an effective antibacterial agent. This suggests promising prospects for its utilization in various applications related to combating bacterial infections.