Merve NENNI
Cyprus Journal of Medical Sciences - 2026;11(4):253-258
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Rising antifungal resistance has encouraged the investigation of plant-derived compounds as alternative or adjunctive agents in fungal infections. Essential oils possess bioactive constituents with antioxidant and antifungal properties. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of essential oils obtained from Origanum majorana, Cedrus atlantica, and Commiphora myrrha and to characterize their chemical composition using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), focusing on their potential relevance to antifungal applications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antioxidant activity was assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazine (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, and half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were calculated with ascorbic acid (AA) as the reference standard. Chemical profiles of the essential oils were determined by GC-MS analysis. Statistical comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among the tested essential oils, C. myrrha exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity (IC50: 18.167+/-0.972 mg/mL), followed by C. atlantica (IC50: 213.037+/-74.219 mg/mL) and O. majorana (IC50: 333.207+/-31.954 mg/mL). AA showed substantially higher antioxidant activity (IC50: 0.021+/-0.0003 mg/mL). GC-MS analysis revealed that C. myrrha oil was rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenes, particularly curzerene and furanoeudesma-1,3-diene; O. majorana was characterized by terpinen-4-ol and gamma-terpinene; and C. atlantica was dominated by himachalene derivatives. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate that C. myrrha essential oil possesses superior antioxidant capacity among the oils tested, likely attributable to its high content of oxygenated sesquiterpenes. While direct antifungal activity was not assessed, the observed antioxidant properties may support the use of myrrh essential oil as a natural adjuvant in antifungal formulations targeting fungal infections associated with oxidative stress.
