Tripleurospermum disciforme (C.A.Mey.) Sch.Bip., Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Sch.Bip, and Achillea biebersteinii Afan.: efficiency, chemical profile, and biological properties of essential oil

AbstractBackgroundTripleurospermum disciforme(C.A.Mey.) Sch.Bip.,Tanacetum parthenium(L.) Sch.Bip., andAchillea biebersteiniiAfan. are the most important species of the Asteraceae family that are used in traditional medicine as antiseptics, analgesics, and anti-ulcers. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the yield, chemical profile, and antibacterial and antifungal properties of the essential oils of these three species for the first time. For this purpose, plant materials were collected in June 2019 from Javinan region (Kashan, Iran).ResultsBased on the ANOVA results the species had a significant effect on yield, chemical composition, and diameter of the inhibition zone of some microorganisms (P ≤ 0.01). The highest yield belonged toT. disciformeessential oil (~ 1.433%). Analysis of essential oil compounds showed that inT. disciforme, anisole,p-1-cyclohexen-1-yl- (55.95%), modephene (10.00%), andcis-β-farnesene (11.94%), inT. parthenium, camphor (43.43%), camphene (9.40%), and bornyl acetate (6.76%), and inA. biebersteiniilinalool (34.49%),p-cymene (15.31%), and α-terpineol (7.43%) were the main and predominant compounds. The highest inhibition zone diameter by the essential oil ofT. partheniumandA. biebersteiniiagainstAspergillus brasiliensis(~ 13 mm) was observed. The strongest inhibitory and lethal activity was related toT. disciformeessential oil againstKlebsiella pneumoniae,Shigella dysenteriae,Escherichia coli(~ 8.50 mm), andCandida albicans(MIC and MBC = 62.5 μg/mL), which were equivalent to rifampin and twice as potent as nystatin, respectively.ConclusionsTherefore, the essential oil of the studied species of Asteraceae may be a promising and potential strategy for controlling some microorganisms and a possible natural alternative to some antibiotics.Graphic Abstract