Composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil of Marrubium deserti.

The essential oil from aerial part of Marrubium deserti De Noé (Lamiaceae), obtained by hydrodistillation was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activity. The antioxidant activity was determined using three in vitro assays: scavenging effect on DPPH, the ABTS test and the phosphomolybdenum method. Thirty-seven compounds were identified in the oil, with germacrene D as the major component (45.7%). This oil was characterized by an important hydrocarbon fraction (78.1%) and by the predominance of sesquiterpenes (67.4%). M. deserti essential oil had no activity on the tested microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Echerichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus). However the oil presented an antioxidant activity.