Chrysanthemum indicum and Chrysanthemum morifolium: Chemical Composition of Their Essential Oils and Their Potential Use as Natural Preservatives with Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities

Abstract

The composition of essential oils of <i>Chrysanthemum indicum</i> and <i>C. morifolium</i> were comparatively studied using both Gas Chromatography/Flame ionization Detector (GC/FID) and Gas Chromatography/Mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses. The antiviral activity was determined using a plaque reduction assay against three common viruses namely, herpes simplex type-1 (HSV-1), hepatitis A (HAV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). The antimicrobial activity was assessed using agar diffusion and microdilution methods and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined. In addition, the anti-mycobacterial evaluation was carried out using the Alamar blue assay and the effect against <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> was investigated. The anti-trypanosomal activity was evaluated using the resazurin method. GC investigations revealed that camphor is the major constituent of both oils accounting for 36.69 and 14.56% in the essential oils from <i>C. indicum</i> and <i>C. morifolium</i>, respectively. <i>C. indicum</i> was biologically more active in all experiments; it exhibited a notable antitrypanosomal activity with an IC₅₀ value equals 45.89 μg/mL and a notable antimicrobial activity versus <i>Streptococcus agalactiae</i> with a MIC value of 62.5 μg/mL. It also inhibited the replication of VSV with an IC₅₀ value of 3.14 μg/mL. Both oils revealed antioxidant potential with IC₅₀ values of 2.21 and 2.59 mg/mL for <i>C. indicum</i> and <i>C. morifolium,</i> respectively. This study provides evidence beyond the traditional use of both <i>Chrysanthemum indicum</i> and <i>C. morifolium</i> as anti-infective agents. Thus they could be used as spices in food and can be incorporated in different food products and pharmaceutical preparations as natural preservatives possessing antioxidant potential.