The essential oil of Lactuca longidentata Moris and its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities

Lactuca longidentata Moris (Asteraceae) is an endemic species growing only on Mesozoic limestone of central Sardinia. In the present study, the essential oil of the epigeal part of the plant was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The main volatile components were α-terpineol (27.64%) and limonene (25.8%). The essential oils showed a noteworthy ability of scavenging free radical species (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test systems) with a mean half maximal inhibitory concentration IC₅₀ of 32.24 μg/mL. More significant was the inhibition of lipid oxidation that corresponded to an activity 1.5 times lower than that of 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methylphenol (BHT). The essential oil was also assayed on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans by the microdilution broth method and was particularly active against B. subtilis, with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 100 μg/mL.

Keywords: Lactuca longidentata; antimicrobial; antioxidant; essential oil.