Essential oil composition and biological activities of Hyssopus officinalis and Perilla frutescens

This article reports on the main constituents of Hyssopus officinalis and Perilla frutescens essential oils (EOs) and their activity as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti inflammatory and anticancer. The major component of H. officinalis essential oil was isopinocamphone followed by pinocamphone, β-pinene, β-phellandrene, α-thujene and bicyclo-germacrene. The main constituent of the essential oil of P. frutescens was identified as L-perillaldehyde followed by trans-caryophyllene and D-limonene. Both essential oils (hyssop and perilla) showed antioxidant activities with the used three methods and the increase of activity was concentration dependent up to 32μg/ml comparing to ascorbic acid. The values of IC50 for DPPH radical scavenging were in the order of P. frutescens< ascorbic acid< H. officinalis. The values of IC50 for FIC method were in the order of ascorbic acid< P. frutescens< H. officinalis. The IC50 for ABTS method was 8μg for P. frutescence and the values were in the order as ascorbic acid< H. officinalis< P. frutescence. The essential oil of both plant species showed variable activities against all the tested bacterial. The results displayed also that the essential oil of P. frutescens showed significant fungal inhibitions against the four tested Candida strains.