Chemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Potential Assessment of Wild Laurel from the National Park Skadar Lake, Montenegro

In light of the increasing demand for laurel, driven by renewed interest in natural products and traditional medicinal usage of this plant, our study aimed to investigate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of essential oils from leaves and fruits of laurel (EOL and EOF, respectively) collected in the National Park Skadar Lake, Montenegro, as it related to their chemical composition, assessing the possibility of their usage in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Also, fatty oil from the remaining laurel fruit after EOF isolation was investigated as a possible source of bioactive compounds. The most abundant components in EOL and EOF were 1,8-cineol (35.1% and 33.3%, respectively) and α-terpinyl acetate (10.4% and 7.0%, respectively). Linalool (7.6%) was found in EOL, while α- pinene (5.8%) and β-elemene (5.7%) were present in significant amounts in EOF. Antibacterial and antifungal properties of EOL and EOF showed strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacillus subtilis, and potent antifungal effects against Candida albicans, opening the door for their application as antimicrobial agents. Chemical analysis of fatty oil unexpectedly revealed prominent content of sesquiterpene lactone dehydrocostunolide and phenylpropanoid derivative (E)-2-hexyl-cinnamaldehyde (21% and 5%, respectively), suggesting further investigations of this waste material as the source of valuable compounds with proven health benefits.