Elemental Determination and Essential Oil Composition of Ziziphora clinopodioides and Consideration of its Antibacterial Effects

Abstract

Ziziphora clinopodioides belongs to the Lamiaceae family, that are widespread all over Iran. The leaves, flowers and stems of the plant are frequently used as wild vegetables or additives in food to offer aroma and flavour. The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the aerial parts of Z. clinopodioides Lam. were analyzed by GC and GC-MS and 29 components were identified. The major components were pulegone (41.5 %), piperitenone (18.54 %), carvacrol (5.21 %) menth-2-en-1-ol (4.29 %) and neomenthol (4.16). The essential oils of Ziziphora clinopodioides antibacterial activity were tested against two strains of gram positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus) and two strains of gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia). The average MICs and MBCs of essential oils were tested against the organisms by agar dilution. Eight metal elements in Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam were determined by FAAS. The work conditions and precision of the method were studied. The results showed that there were comparatively rich metal elements, among which comparatively high are calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium in Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. It was noted that level of essential elements was high as compared to the level of toxic elements. It provided useful data for discussing the relationship between the content of the metal elements in Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam and clinical application of the traditional medicine.