SYNERGISTIC ANTIMIROBIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF HYDRODISTILLED ESSENTIAL OILS FROM SEEDS OF NIGELLA SATIVA AND CORIANDRUM SATIVUM

Abstract

In the present work, we aimed to determine composition and synergistic biological activities of hydro-distilled essential oils from seeds of Nigella sativa Linn and Coriandrum sativum Linn. The essential oils, obtained by optimized extractions using the hydrodistillation technique, were analyzed for their chemical compositions. Hydro distilled essential oils (EOs) of Nigella sativa and Coriandrum sativum seeds were analyzed by GC-MS and FT-IR, and their synergistic antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were investigated. According to the GC-MS report, 25 chemical compounds were identified in Nigella sativa, with p-cymene and α-pellandrene being the major compounds. Similarly, 23 chemical compounds were identified in Coriandrum sativum, with linalool and neryl acetate as the major compounds. Similarly, 23 chemical compounds have been analyzed in Coriandrum sativum, and their major compounds are linalool and neryl acetate. The antimicrobial activity was tested using agar well diffusion against several pathogenic microorganisms to study possible synergism when they coexisted. Antioxidant activity was also determined using the DPPH radical scavenging in vitro test. The combined essential oils exhibited stronger antimicrobial and antioxidant activities indicating their potential as natural preservatives and therapeutic agents. This study adds to our knowledge of the bioactivity of these plant essential oils and helps justify their application in pharmaceutical and food technologies.The synergistic effect of both plant oils showed maximum antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhi gram-negative bacteria and fungus Candida albicans, as well as Escherichia coli gram-negative bacteria. The antioxidant activity results showed that the mixed oils of both plants had maximum antioxidant activities compared to the standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid.

Keywords: Essential oils; Synergistic effect; Nigella sativa; Coriandrum sativum; Antimicrobial activities; Antioxidant activities