Abstract:
The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the flowers of Santolina
africana Jord. et Four. were analyzed by GC/MS. The main constituents of the
essential oil were acenaphtane (25.23 %), calarene (21.54 %), ocimene (17.44
%) and some other compounds that were presented only in minor amounts. In
total, essential oils of Santolina africana Jord. et Four. were considered as a
rich source of hydrocarbon mono and sesquiterpenes. Moreover, the
antimicrobial activity of the essential oil against eight bacteria strains and three
fungi was studied. It was found that the most powerful effect was against
Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus flavus. The essential
oils were screened for their possible in vitro antioxidant activity by DPPH free
radical-scavenging test. The findings showed that reduction percentage is 13.80
at 1M