| Pinus eldarica (Pinaceae), an evergreen plant, is distributed across the warm and dry
climates of western Asia, including Asia Minor, the Middle East, and land surrounding the
Caspian Sea. Essential oils (EOs) from different aerial parts of this tree have been used in
traditional medicine. We aimed to investigate the chemical profile and antimicrobial activity
of the EO from P. eldarica grown in northwestern Iran. EO from the needles, bark, and pollen were
extracted with boiling water using a Clevenger apparatus at yield of 0.7–1.2 cm3
/100 g of dry plant
material. The main chemical components of the EO from the needles were D-germacrene (18.17%),
caryophyllene (15.42%), γ-terpinene (12.96%), and β-pinene (10.62%); those from the bark were
limonene (16.99%), caryophyllene oxide (13.22%), and drimenol (13.2%); and those from the pollen
were α-pinene (25.64%) and limonene (19.94%). In total, 83 constituents were characterized in the
EOs, using gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis; mainly, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons in
needle EO and monoterpene hydrocarbons in pollen and bark EOs. β-Pinene, β-myrcene, limonene,
and caryophyllene were identified in the EOs from all three plant parts. The antibacterial and
antifungal properties of the EOs were examined: pollen EO exhibited antibacterial activity against
Escherichia coli; bark EO inhibited the growth of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus; and the
needle EO inhibited the growth of S. aureus. Thus, the EOs from aerial parts of P. eldarica can benefit
the EO industry and antibiotic development. |