Essential Oil Composition Diversity in Some Populations of Anthemis haussknechtii Boiss. & Reut. in Northwestern Iran: Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity

The plant Anthemis haussknechtii Boiss. & Reut., belonging to the Asteraceae family, is a bushy perennial species generally distributed in Armenia, Iran, and central Anatolia. This species has been traditionally used in medicines. The aim of this research was to study the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oils from some populations of Anthemis haussknechtii in northwestern and western Iran. The essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation from populations of different areas of West Azerbaijan and Hamadan provinces and was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial activity of the essential oils was investigated against bacteria using MIC determination and the agar-gel diffusion method. Based on the results, fourteen compounds were identified as the main constituents of the essential oils, with the most abundant compounds being 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-thujone, camphene, β-thujone, and p-cymene. Population No. 1 exhibited the highest activity against Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Serratia marcescens, and Staphylococcus aureus, while the highest activity against St. saprophyticus, Bacillus megaterium, and B. cereus was observed in population No. 3, and against Citrobacter amalonaficus in population No. 4. The MIC values of the essential oils ranged from 6 µg/mL against Bacillus megaterium to 12 µg/mL against Citrobacter amalonaficus. This study demonstrates the presence of the 1,8-cineole/camphor/camphene chemotype in A. haussknechtii, but there is also significant chemical diversity among the studied populations. The findings indicate that the studied essential oils possess good antibacterial activity and can therefore be used as natural health products.