Essential Oil of Salvia officinalis L. from the Algerian Saharan Atlas: Chemical Composition and Biological Evaluation

Abstract

In this study, chemical composition, and biological activities of the essential oil of Salvia officinalis, a native plant cultivated in Laghouat (Algerian Sahara), were studied. Chemical composition of the essential oil was identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Thirty-nine components representing 96.41% of the essential oil were detected with camphor (16.41%), α-thujone (15.68%), manool (15%), viridiflorol (11.69%) and 1,8-cineole (10.06%) as the major compounds. Antioxidant activity was employed by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical scavenging. The essential oil’s IC50 value was 0.222 mg /mL in the DPPH assay which could be regarded as reasonable antioxidant power. The antimicrobial activities were evaluated on selected Gam-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as on two pathogenic fungi. The results revealed agreeable and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity while the oil demonstrated weak antifungal potential. On the other hand, the antiproliferative potential of the oil was assessed on different human cancer cell types with the oil’s activities on leukemia and prostate cancers being reported for the first time in literature. The LD50 values of the oil were in the 200-400 µg/mL on the different cancer types examined. These findings may encourage further investigations in the potential use of S. officinalis oil as naturally occurring bioactive ingredient for food and pharmaceutical industry.