Composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of a full grown tree of Pinus cembra L. from the Calimani mountains (Romania)

This study was carried out to investigate the chemical composition, the antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of the essential oils of Pinus cembra L. needles and twigs. The chemical composition was analyzed using both GC and GC-MS techniques. α-Pinene (69.14%) was the major constituent of the needle essential oil while the twig essential oil was characterized by a high content of limonene+ β-phellandrene (40.97%) and α-pinene (24.94%). The needle and twig essential oils showed weak DPPH radical scavenging effects (EC50=19.93±0.75 and EC50=18.66±0.70 mg ml-1, respectively). In antimicrobial assays, both essential oils showed high activity against Sarcina lutea and Staphylococcus aureus and no activity against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The needle and twig essential oils had similar antimicrobial effects against Sarcina lutea with MIC and MBC values of 0.12 and 0.24 mg ml-1, respectively. The twig essential oil (MIC=1.95 mg ml-1, MBC=3.9 mg ml-1) was more active against Staphylococcus aureus than the needle essential oil (MIC=3.9 mg ml-1, MBC=15.62 mg ml-1) and also exhibited a moderate activity against Candida albicans (MIC=7.81 mg ml-1, MFC=15.62 mg ml-1).