Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils obtained from leaves and flowers of Salvia hydrangea DC. ex Benth

The majority of essential oils obtained from vascular plants have been demonstrated to be effective in treating fungal and bacterial infections. Among others, Salvia hydrangea is an endemic half-shrub belonging to the Lamiaceae family that has been widely used from ancient times in Iranian traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to compare the composition and antimicrobial properties of essential oils obtained from leaves or flowers of this plant, collected from the Daran region of Iran during June 2018. The oils were obtained using Clevenger apparatus, their composition was evaluated by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and the antimicrobial properties were assayed by measuring inhibition halos, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The yield of leaf oil was ~ 0.25% and that of flower oil was ~ 0.28%. Oil composition was affected by the part of the plants used: the most abundant bioactives contained in leaf essential oil were (+)-spathulenol (16.07%), 1,8-cineole (13.96%), trans-caryophyllene (9.58%), β-pinene (8.91%) and β-eudesmol (5.33%) and those in flower essential oil were caryophyllene oxide (35.47%), 1,8-cineole (9.54%), trans-caryophyllene (6.36%), β-eudesmol (4.11%), caryophyllenol-II (3.46%) and camphor (3.33%). Both the oils showed a significant inhibitory and lethal effect on the Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC ~ 16 µg/mL), Shigella dysenteriae and Klebsiella pneumoniae (MIC ~ 62 µg/mL). Therefore, the essential oils obtained from both leaves and flowers of S. hydrangea may have potential application as bactericidal agents against some bacteria.