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5 International Scientific Online Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.15414/2021.9788055224015

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ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF THREE ESSENTIAL OILS DERIVED FROM GYMNOSPERM
TREE SPECIES AGAINST STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAIN
1
Maryna Opryshko , Myroslava Maryniuk , Oleksandr Gyrenko , Halyna Tkachenko ,
1
1
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Natalia Kurhaluk ,Lyudmyla Buyun
2
1
1 M.M. Gryshko National Botanic Garden, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine;
E-mail.: maryna.opryshko@meta.ua
2 Institute of Biology and Earth Sciences, Pomeranian University in Słupsk, Poland
Essential oils obtained from conifer needles and bark have been widely used for treating
a wide range of disorders, including neuralgia, infectious, rheumatic, and some aging-related
chronic diseases. In the present research, the antibacterial properties of commercial essential
oils (fir oils and cedar oil) derived from three conifer tree species, namely Silver fir (Abies alba
Mill.), Siberian fir (Abies sibirica Ledeb.) (Pinaceae family, Abietoideae), and Virginia cedarwood
(Juniperus virginiana L.) (Cupressaceae family) against Staphylococcus aureus strain have been
evaluated. The name of gymnosperm plant species are given by Integrated Taxonomic
Information System (ITIS).
Essential oils were provided by a Polish essential oils manufacturer (Etja, Elbląg, Poland).
The investigated samples did not contain additives or solvents and were confirmed to be
natural by the manufacturers. The samples were stored in resalable vials at 5 °C in the dark but
were allowed to adjust to room temperature before investigation. Geographical origins were
excluded as information was mostly not available. For this study, the Staphylococcus aureus
subsp. aureus Rosenbach (ATCC 25923™) (mecA negative) strain was used. Cultures were
®
grown aerobically for 24 h at 37 °C. The cultures were later diluted with a sterile solution of 0.9
% normal saline to approximate the density of 0.5 McFarland standard. Muller-Hinton agar
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plates were inoculated with 200 µl of standardized inoculum (10 CFU/mL) of the bacterium
and spread with sterile swabs. Sterile filter paper discs impregnated by sample were applied
over each of the culture plates, 15 min after bacteria suspension was placed. The antimicrobial
susceptibility testing was done on Muller-Hinton agar by the disc diffusion method (Kirby-
Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test protocol). The diameters of the inhibition zones were
measured in millimeters. Each test was repeated six times.
Our study demonstrated that the fir oil derived from Silver fir Abies alba showed
considerably more activity than the cedar oil and fir oil derived from Siberian fir Abies sibirica.
Maximum antibacterial activity was shown by essential oil of silver fir with the inhibition zone
diameter (27.0 ±1.8) mm, compared to the cedar oil with the inhibition zone size (16.9 ±1.5)
mm, while Siberian fir essential oil showed less activity with (16.5 ±0.9) mm of clear inhibition
zone against S. aureus strain.
In summary, this study provides insight into the in vitro antibacterial activity of a wide
variety of essential oils derived from many different plant genera against the Staphylococcus
aureus strain. The data contributes to the ongoing scientific investigation regarding the
application of essential oils as natural antibacterial agents. After benchmarking essential oils
from plants belonging to the subfamily Abietoideae, Silver fir essential oil is identified as a
promising candidate concerning possible applicability in the prevention of bacterial growth.
Further, the chemical compositions of essential oil, derived from Silver fir A. alba (Silver fir)
should be studied by gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC−MS).

Keywords: Abies alba, Abies sibirica, Staphylococcus aureus, Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility
test.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to The Visegrad Fund for supporting our study.

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Spiritual Human Development
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