Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl.: A Multifunctional Essential Oil Against Bacterial Pathogens

<i>Daucus</i> is a large genus of the Apiaceae family, comprising around forty-five accepted species, that has a worldwide distribution. Species of this genus have been reported to have several traditional medicinal uses, and some of them are also largely used as food and spices. <i&g...

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Main Authors: Giusy Castagliuolo, Antonella Porrello, Maddalena Cerasola, Giuseppe Bazan, Dario Antonini, Mario Varcamonti, Maurizio Bruno, Anna Zanfardino, Natale Badalamenti
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/14/2227
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author Giusy Castagliuolo
Antonella Porrello
Maddalena Cerasola
Giuseppe Bazan
Dario Antonini
Mario Varcamonti
Maurizio Bruno
Anna Zanfardino
Natale Badalamenti
author_facet Giusy Castagliuolo
Antonella Porrello
Maddalena Cerasola
Giuseppe Bazan
Dario Antonini
Mario Varcamonti
Maurizio Bruno
Anna Zanfardino
Natale Badalamenti
author_sort Giusy Castagliuolo
collection DOAJ
description <i>Daucus</i> is a large genus of the Apiaceae family, comprising around forty-five accepted species, that has a worldwide distribution. Species of this genus have been reported to have several traditional medicinal uses, and some of them are also largely used as food and spices. <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl. is an endemic species of Sicily growing in the montane environments of the Madonie and the Nebrodi Mountains. In this work, the essential oil of <i>D. nebrodensis</i> (<i>Dn</i>EO), collected wild near Messina (Italy), was chemically and biologically investigated. The hydrodistilled essential oil (yield 0.15%), obtained from fresh aerial parts, was evaluated by GC-MS, and It was particularly rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons, with sabinene (33.6%), α-pinene (17.2%), <i>γ</i>-terpinene (9.8%), and α-terpinene (7.6%) as the main metabolites. <i>Dn</i>EO, and its main constituents, have been tested to evaluate their biological properties. Given the current problem of antibiotic resistance, it is of great interest to identify alternative molecules that could counteract the its progression. Therefore, <i>Dn</i>EO was tested against Gram-negative species, such as <i>E. coli</i> DH5α and <i>P. aeruginosa</i> PAOI, and Gram-positive species, such as <i>S. aureus</i> ATCC6538P, <i>B. subtilis</i> AZ54, and <i>M. smegmatis</i> MC<sup>2</sup>155, showing notable antibacterial activity. The MIC for <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>, the most sensitive strain, was 18 mg/mL, while the MIC for <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, the least sensitive strain, was 30 mg/mL. Moreover, interesting antibiofilm activity was observed against <i>Mycobacterium smegmatis</i> with a 55% inhibition. Its ability to form biofilms contributes to its persistence and resistance in clinical settings. These findings highlight the potential of <i>D. nebrodensis</i> EO as a source of bioactive compounds with promising antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties.
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spelling doaj-art-e31713493f0549129c3eedd7ed46bee82025-08-20T02:47:22ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-07-011414222710.3390/plants14142227Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl.: A Multifunctional Essential Oil Against Bacterial PathogensGiusy Castagliuolo0Antonella Porrello1Maddalena Cerasola2Giuseppe Bazan3Dario Antonini4Mario Varcamonti5Maurizio Bruno6Anna Zanfardino7Natale Badalamenti8Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, ed. 17, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, ed. 17, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, ed. 17, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, ed. 17, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, ed. 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy<i>Daucus</i> is a large genus of the Apiaceae family, comprising around forty-five accepted species, that has a worldwide distribution. Species of this genus have been reported to have several traditional medicinal uses, and some of them are also largely used as food and spices. <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl. is an endemic species of Sicily growing in the montane environments of the Madonie and the Nebrodi Mountains. In this work, the essential oil of <i>D. nebrodensis</i> (<i>Dn</i>EO), collected wild near Messina (Italy), was chemically and biologically investigated. The hydrodistilled essential oil (yield 0.15%), obtained from fresh aerial parts, was evaluated by GC-MS, and It was particularly rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons, with sabinene (33.6%), α-pinene (17.2%), <i>γ</i>-terpinene (9.8%), and α-terpinene (7.6%) as the main metabolites. <i>Dn</i>EO, and its main constituents, have been tested to evaluate their biological properties. Given the current problem of antibiotic resistance, it is of great interest to identify alternative molecules that could counteract the its progression. Therefore, <i>Dn</i>EO was tested against Gram-negative species, such as <i>E. coli</i> DH5α and <i>P. aeruginosa</i> PAOI, and Gram-positive species, such as <i>S. aureus</i> ATCC6538P, <i>B. subtilis</i> AZ54, and <i>M. smegmatis</i> MC<sup>2</sup>155, showing notable antibacterial activity. The MIC for <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>, the most sensitive strain, was 18 mg/mL, while the MIC for <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, the least sensitive strain, was 30 mg/mL. Moreover, interesting antibiofilm activity was observed against <i>Mycobacterium smegmatis</i> with a 55% inhibition. Its ability to form biofilms contributes to its persistence and resistance in clinical settings. These findings highlight the potential of <i>D. nebrodensis</i> EO as a source of bioactive compounds with promising antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/14/2227Nebrodi mountains<i>Apiaceae</i>sabineneantibiotic resistanceantibiofilm activity
spellingShingle Giusy Castagliuolo
Antonella Porrello
Maddalena Cerasola
Giuseppe Bazan
Dario Antonini
Mario Varcamonti
Maurizio Bruno
Anna Zanfardino
Natale Badalamenti
Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl.: A Multifunctional Essential Oil Against Bacterial Pathogens
Plants
Nebrodi mountains
<i>Apiaceae</i>
sabinene
antibiotic resistance
antibiofilm activity
title Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl.: A Multifunctional Essential Oil Against Bacterial Pathogens
title_full Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl.: A Multifunctional Essential Oil Against Bacterial Pathogens
title_fullStr Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl.: A Multifunctional Essential Oil Against Bacterial Pathogens
title_full_unstemmed Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl.: A Multifunctional Essential Oil Against Bacterial Pathogens
title_short Antimicrobial Properties of <i>Daucus nebrodensis</i> Strobl.: A Multifunctional Essential Oil Against Bacterial Pathogens
title_sort antimicrobial properties of i daucus nebrodensis i strobl a multifunctional essential oil against bacterial pathogens
topic Nebrodi mountains
<i>Apiaceae</i>
sabinene
antibiotic resistance
antibiofilm activity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/14/2227
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