Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the
antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-
obesity and anti-bacterial activities and the chemi
cal composition of essential oil of
Zygophyllum album
leaves
(
Zygophyllaceae) harvested from Douz (Tunisia). GC–M
S
analysis of essential oil of
Z. album
resulted in the identification of nineteen compoun
ds
representing 91.55% of the total oil. 2,6-Di(tert-b
utyl)phenol, delta decalactone,
cocolactone and carvacrol were the principal compon
ents comprising 63.65% of the oil.
The antioxidant activity of essential oil of
Z. album
was evaluated using 2,2-DiPhenyl-1-
PicrylHydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power and total ant
ioxidant capacity assays. The
obtained results reveal that the essential oil of
Z. album
is endowed with potent
antioxidant property. In addition, the
IC
50
value of essential oil of
Z. album
against
α
-
amylase was 43.17
μ
g mL
-1
and that against pancreatic lipase was 85.95
μ
g mL
-1
,
suggesting powerful anti-diabetic and anti-obesity
effects, respectively. Moreover, the
essential oil of
Z. album
showed a significant anti-bacterial activity espec
ially against
Gram (+) bacteria. This study suggests that essenti
al oil of
Z. album
may be used as a
potential natural source for anti-oxidative, anti-d
iabetic and anti-microbial agents in drug
and food industries.
Keywords:
Anti-bacterial activity, Anti-diabetic, Antioxidan
t property, Anti-obesity activity,
Pancreatic lipase inhibition.
