Physicochemical characterization and antibacterial and antifungal activities of Pistacia lentiscus oils in Northeastern Algeria.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to validate the importance of Pistacia lentiscus, a species very widespread in northeastern Algeria, locally called “Dharou” as multipurpose pharmaceutical potential. Due to its richness in chemical components, it has been known for decades and widely used in the Arab and European pharmacopoeia in traditional medicine. In Algeria, this medicinal plant is mainly known and used in rural areas. Depending on the part of the plant, it is used to treat different diseases such as stomach ulcers, cough, diarrhea, bronchitis, burns, and eczema. To realize this study, we collected samples of lentisk oils traditionally extracted by the rural populations of seven regions, on which physicochemical analyzes (color, humidity, acidity index, peroxide index, phosphatide, saponification index) was carried out. The physicochemical parameters of oil collected were values corresponded to the international standards and generally reflecting a fairly oil’s good quality, with the exception of the acidity index values, that exceeded standards in five regions. Exploring and evaluating their antibacterial and antifungal activities, using wells technique in order to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), were also done. The bacterial pathogens used were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Kelbsiella pneumonia. Meanwhile, for antifungal activity, the fungal strains tested were: Verticillium sp, Pythium sp and Phytophthora sp. All oils samples were ineffective against the bacterial strains tested. In contrary, antifungal activities were observed, suggesting that these oils can be used for biological control of fungi growth in various types of crops. Despite the exceptional medicinal virtues of Pistacia lentiscus in the Maghreb region, few studies have been devoted to this plant, which gives even more interest to our study.