Antimicrobial and antioxidative activity of extracts and essential oils of Myrtus communis L

Verica Aleksic; Petar Knezevic

doi:10.1016/j.micres.2013.10.003

Antimicrobial and antioxidative activity of extracts and essential oils of Myrtus communis L

Microbiol Res. 2014 Apr;169(4):240-54. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2013.10.003. Epub 2013 Oct 24.

Authors

Verica Aleksic¹, Petar Knezevic²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 2, Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia.
² Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 2, Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. Electronic address: petar.knezevic@dbe.uns.ac.rs.

PMID: 24291016
DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2013.10.003

Abstract

Since synthetic antimicrobial agents and food additives can cause a number of adverse effects, there is a growing interest from consumers in ingredients from natural sources. Medicinal plants, such as Myrtus communis L. are a source of new compounds which can be used in both the food industry and for medical purposes, primarily as antimicrobial agents. In this review, the characteristics of myrtle essential oils and extracts are summarized, with particular attention to their chemical composition, biological activities and potential applications.

Keywords: Antimicrobial activity; Antioxidative activity; Essential oils; Myrtus communis L.; Plant extracts.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Anti-Infective Agents / chemistry
Anti-Infective Agents / isolation & purification
Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology*
Antioxidants / chemistry
Antioxidants / isolation & purification
Antioxidants / pharmacology*
Myrtus / chemistry*
Oils, Volatile / isolation & purification
Oils, Volatile / pharmacology*
Plant Extracts / isolation & purification
Plant Extracts / pharmacology*

Substances

Anti-Infective Agents
Antioxidants
Oils, Volatile
Plant Extracts