GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY–MASS SPECTROMETRY, ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF ORIGANUM VULGARE L. SSP. GLANDULOSUM (DESF.) IETSWAART AND THYMUS PALLESCENS DE NOÉ FROM WESTERN ALGERIA

The chemical composition of the essential oils extracted by hydro distillation of the aerial parts of Origanum vulgare L. subsp.glandulosum (Desf.)letswaart and Thymus pallescens de No (Lamiaceae), aromatic medicinal plants endemic to Algeria, was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).Hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of Origanum vulgare L. subsp.glandulosum (Desf.)letswaart and Thymus pallescens de No gave 2% and 6% oils yield respectively; on a dry weight basis.The analysis of the essential oils allowed us to identify 33 and 43 components, respectively, representing 98.27 and 99.743% of the oil.The major components were carvacrol (36.62%) followed by thymol (27.30%), -terpinene (11.15%), p-cymene (5.57%), trans-caryophyllene (3.16%), sesquiphellandrene (2.85%) and -terpinene (1.48%).Overall, these data indicate that Origanum vulgare L. subsp.glandulosum (Desf.)letswaart could be a source of bioactive compounds.The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oils extracted via hydrodistillation was also investigated.The essential oils have antioxidant activity, it is directly related to the chemical composition and method used to determine each activity.The antimicrobial test results revealed that the essential oil of Thymus pallescens showed the strongest inhibition against the tested microorganisms, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most sensitive.