Essential oil composition and antibacterial activity of Anthemis mixta and A. tomentosa (Asteraceae).

In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts and roots of Anthemis mixta L. and A. tomentosa L. was evaluated by GC and GC-MS, and their antibacterial activity tested against ten bacterial species. Hexadecanoic acid (15.2%) was recognized as the main constituent ofA. mixta, together with tau-cadinol (6.7%), while in both aerial parts and roots of A. tomentosa nonacosane (21.9% and 20.7%), heptacosane (8.1% and 6.0%), hexadecanoic acid (8.1% and 27.1%) and hexahydrofarnesylacetone (6.8% and 5.5%) prevailed. The oils from aerial parts of both species showed a good activity against Gram-positive bacteria. These results suggest that the plants could be potentially used in food manufacture and cosmetology as preservative agents or in medicine as new antibiotics.