| Summary: | Active components from natural sources are the current focus in most pharmacological research to provide new therapeutic agents for clinical use. Essential oils from the <i>Pinus</i> species have been traditionally used in medicine. This study aimed to investigate the chemical profile of two <i>Pinus</i> species, <i>Pinus halepensis</i> L. and <i>Pinus pinea</i> Mill, from different altitudes in Libya and study the effect of environmental conditions on the biological activities of essential oils. A clevenger apparatus was used to prepare the essential oils by hydrodistillation. Analyses were done using GC/MS. Anthelmintic and antimicrobial activities were tested against the earthworm <i>Allolobophora caliginosa</i>, gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and fungi. Different chemical profiles were observed among all tested essential oils, and terpenes were the most dominant class. All studied essential oils from the <i>Pinus</i> species exhibited a remarkable anthelmintic activity compared to the standard piperazine citrate drug. <i>Pinus halepensis</i> from both altitudes showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms, while <i>Pinus pinea</i> was effective against only <i>Escherichia coli</i>. From these findings, one can conclude that there are variations between studied species. The essential oil compositions are affected by environmental factors, which consequently affect the anthelmintic and antimicrobial activity.
|
|---|