Abstract :
Antibacterial and anticandidal activities of essential oils obtained from of dill (Anethum graveolens) and fennel (Feoniculum vulgare) were studied by agar dilution technique. Test organisms were inoculated by radial streaking onto agar plates and incubated for 16–20 hours at 35°C. Antibacterial activity of dill and fennel was evaluated against Mycobacterium spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. Our results showed that the volatile oils extracted by steam distillation method from roots, stem and leaves of dill and fennel plants did not show antibacterial or anticandidal activities. However, seed extracts from both dill and fennel exhibited varying degrees of growth inhibition of C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C.glabrata. Extracts of dill and fennel seeds prepared by simple solvent extraction method, using acetone, petroleum ether, methanol and chloroform, did not show any antimicrobial activity against common bacterial or fungal pathogens. On the other hand, growth of some Mycobacterium species was inhibited by the seed extracts of both fennel and dill. Our results suggest that the anticandidal and antimycobacterial properties of these two herbs may be further investigated to explore the possibility of using them in the treatment of candidal or mycobacterial infections.
