Open Access
ARTICLE
Thymus serpyllum L. Essential Oil: Phytochemistry and in Vitro and in Silico Screening of Its Antimicrobial, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties
1 Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
2 Department of Pharmcology, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Research in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, 30000, Morocco
3 Laboratoire d’Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Moroccodes Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda, 60000, Morocco
4 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, P.O. Box 4184, United Arab Emirates
5 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo, 11566, Egypt
6 Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Imouzzer Road, Fez, 30000, Morocco
7 Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University, Qassim, 51452, Saudi Arabia
8 High Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques Fez, Fez, 30050, Morocco
9 Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Food, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Saudi Arabia
10 Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Saudi Arabia
11 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, 52571, Saudi Arabia
12 Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ibn Zohr University, Guelmim, 81000, Morocco
* Corresponding Author: Amine Elbouzidi. Email:
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Biological Activities of Essential Oils)
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(1), 209-227. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.060438
Received 01 November 2024; Accepted 26 December 2024; Issue published 24 January 2025
Abstract
Thymus serpyllum L., often known as wild thyme, has been used since ancient times due to its multifaceted culinary and medicinal attributes. It is usually utilized in folk medicine to manage different health issues. This work aimed to investigate the chemical composition and biological characteristics of T. serpyllum essential oil (EO), including its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory capabilities. Moreover, we have prompted an in-silico simulation to reveal the underlying mode of action of these properties. The chemical characterization of T. serpyllum (EO) by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) indicated sabinene (17.33%), terpinen-4-ol (11.73%), phellandral (13.18%), and thymol (10.54%) as main components. The antimicrobial screening utilized the disc-diffusion technique, MIC, and MBC assays. The disc-diffusion test’s results revealed significant anti-Candida activity and notable antibacterial efficacy. The MIC and MBC tests showed that T. serpyllum EO effectively stops bacterial growth, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains and Candida strains. The tolerance level ratio demonstrated that this EO exhibits bactericidal and fungicidal effects on all tested bacteria and Candida strains. Also, T. serpyllum EO presented effective inhibitory activity against the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) enzyme (IC50 = 744.19 ± 0.1 µg/mL) (p < 0.05). It also effectively affected FRAP, β-carotene, DPPH, and ABTS radicals. In light of these findings, T. serpyllum holds promise for diverse applications across pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and the food industry. However, further research and collaboration between traditional knowledge and modern medicine are crucial to fully realizing its potential benefits in these fields.Keywords
Cite This Article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.