Phytochemical profile, assessment of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of essential oils of Artemisia herba-alba Asso., and Artemisia dracunculus L.: Experimental and computational approaches

Artemisia herba alba and Artemisia dracunculus are widely used in folk medicine by many ethnic groups to relieve and treat various ailments, including diabetes, cancer, and infectious diseases. The current investigation aims to determine the phytochemical profile, antibacterial, anticandidal and antioxidant activities of Moroccan A. herba alba and A. dracunculus essential oils (EOs). Antioxidant activity was carried out using four complementary assays, namely ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging techniques, ferric-reducing power (FRAP) and lipid peroxidation tests. The antimicrobial potential of A. herba-alba and A. dracunculus EOs was examined against a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and yeasts, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. The results demonstrated that the A. herba-alba and A. dracunculus EOs exhibited remarkable inhibitory effects against all tested microorganisms using disk-diffusion method and were competitor to the examined antibiotics, demonstrating a maximum inhibition diameter of the Gram-positive bacteria. The most susceptible was B. cereus (31.33 ± 4.04 mm), and the most susceptible Gram-negative bacteria was K. aerogenes (19.79 ± 1.53 mm), and C. tropicalis was the most susceptible Candida spp. to A. herba alba EOs (27.00 ± 0.66 mm). The MIC, MBC, and MFC values indicate that these EOs were highly effective at minimal concentrations. However, toxicological assessment, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic investigations are necessary to confirm the safety and the beneficial effects of these oils in human healthcare and industrial applications as potential sources of natural antioxidants and preservative agents.