Phytochemical composition of the fennel fruits essential oil and its influence on prokariotic cells growth and pathogenic features

Medicinal plants, repository of phytochemicals with putative biological activity are nowadays subjected for screening in order to assess on a scientific basis the traditional medicine claims. Moreover the antimicrobial terapy shifted from a microbicidal to an antipathogenic concept and synergistic effects in plant extracts mixtures seems to be an apropriate solution for the control of microbial resistance emerging issue. Essential oil was obtained by microwave assisted hydrodistilation method in a Neo Clevenger type apparatus and subjected to GC-MS for the phytochemical analysis. The antimicrobial spectrum was established by the liquid medium microdilution assay, while the putative antipathogenic effect by studying the essential oil effect on biofilm development (microtiter assay using violet crystal staining and flow cytometry). The essential oil prooved to be rich in in anethol. All tested microbial strains were susceptible to the F. vulgare essential oil which exhibited anti-adherence properties at subinhibitory concentrations and antibiofilm activity on the preformed experimental fungal biofilms.