Essential oils can be used as antibacterial additives and are generally recognized as safe. Coleus zeylanicus is one of the medicinal aromatic plant serves as a source of essential oils. Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oils obtained from the control and salinity stressed Coleus zeylanicus plant was investigated in the present study. Essential oils from the control and salinity stressed Coleus zeylanicus plant was extracted using Clevenger apparatus. The composition of essential oils was identified using gas chromatography mass spectrometry, which showed a few compounds expressed differentially. The antibacterial activity of the isolated essential oils was studied by using the agar well diffusion method, showing potent inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antioxidant and antimicrobial constituents of the essential oils were spotted using the bioautography method, revealing that the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in the essential oils of Coleus zeylanicus were increased upon exposure to salinity stress.
Part of the book: Free Radicals, Antioxidants and Diseases