The position of traditional medicine in our country and availability of a rich source of plants in Iran on the one hand, and the problems present in treatment of infections resulted from antibiotic-resistant microbes on the other hand, prompts more careful investigation of medicinal plants. Thyme is a plant, belonging to Labiatae family. Gontscharovia Popovii is a type of thyme found in southern regions of Iran. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of the essence and extract of Gontscharovia Popovii on eight bacterial strains. In this study, Gontscharovia Popovii was collected from the southern regions of Iran, and confirmed by the Herbarium Department, Iranian Institute of Medicinal Plants, Jahad Daneshgahi. The plant extract was prepared using percolation method, and the essence was obtained by hydrodistillation using Clevenger apparatus. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical compounds of Gontscharovia Popovii was performed using GC/Mass chromatography. Then, the effects of various concentrations of the essence and extract of the plant on the bacterial species were evaluated and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were measured. The results of evaluation of the essence indicated that there are 49 compounds in the plant essence, among which thymol is the major one. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the essence and extract of Gontscharovia Popovii have a high anti-bacterial potential, and inhibits the growth of the bacteria studied. However, among the strains studied, Pseudomonas aeruginosa had the highest resistance against the essence and extract; such that the MIC of Gontscharovia Popovii essence and extract for Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 2 and 5 µl, respectively. This is while lower concentrations were effective on other bacterial strains. Essence and methanol extract of Gontscharovia Popovii showed a considerable inhibitory effect on growth of pathogenic bacteria, particularly gram-positive ones.
Essence, Extract, Gontscharovia popovii, Pathogenic bacteria
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