Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial and Analgesic Properties of Rosmarinus officinalis L. from North of Iran

Abstract

Medicinal plants can be used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products due to their biological and nutritional properties. The objective of this research was to examine the chemical composition, antimicrobial and analgesic activity of <em>Rosmarinus officinalis</em> L. plant originating Amol, north of Iran for the first time. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry study was used for oil analysis. <em>Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Bacillus subtilis </em>and <em>Candida albicans </em>were used to examine the antimicrobial activity of the essential oils using agar disk diffusion assay. GC-MS analysis revealed that the oil was dominated by 1,8-cineole (20.20%), α-Pinene (17.29%) and borneol (7.59%). Antimicrobial assays of different dilutions of essential oil showed significant antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria<em>. </em>Furthermore, the water and ethanolic extracts prevented the pain resulting from hot-plate test. The results suggested <em>Rosmarinus officinalis </em>from Amol as an alternative natural compound which has antimicrobial and analgesic effects to use in pharmaceutical industries.