Composition, antimicrobial, antiradical and spasmolytic activity of Ferula heuffelii Griseb. ex Heuffel (Apiaceae) essential oil

The essential oil from underground parts of Ferula heuffelii from N.E. Serbia, was analysed using GC and GC–MS. The main compounds of the essential oil were elemicin (35.4%) and myristicin (20.6%). The essential oil exhibited the best antimicrobial activity against two strains of Candida albicans (MIC = 7.0 and 13.7 μg/ml), as well as against Micrococcus luteus (MIC = 13.7 μg/ml), Staphylococcus epidermidis (MIC = 17.6 μg/ml), Bacillus subtilis (MIC = 21.1 μg/ml) and Micrococcus flavus (MIC = 28.2 μg/ml). In the DPPH radical scavenging assay, essential oil showed substantial activity with SC50 = 22.43 μl/ml. The essential oil was also tested for antispasmodic activity. It inhibited spontaneous contraction of isolated rat ileum dose-dependently, and at the concentration of 86.64 μg/ml exhibited 50% of the maximum effect of atropine. After incubation with 75.00 μg/ml of essential oil, acetylcholine did not induce contractions of ileum, and at 250.00 μg/ml, the essential oil almost completely abolished the spasmodic effect of potassium chloride (80 mM).