TY  - EJOU
AU  - Batbat, Amine 
AU  - Fadili, Mohamed El 
AU  - Hachlafi, Naoufal El 
AU  - Elbouzidi, Amine 
AU  - Hmimen, Chaymae 
AU  - Yahyaoui, Hiba 
AU  - Jeddi, Samir 
AU  - Benbouazza, Abdellatif 
AU  - Fikri-Benbrahim, Kawtar 
AU  - Addi, Mohamed 
AU  - Al-Mijalli, Samiah Hamad 
AU  - Habbadi, Khaoula 
AU  - Greche, Hassane 

TI  - GC-MS Profiling, <i>In Vitro</i> and <i>In Silico</i> Antibacterial and Antioxidant Potential of <i>Origanum elongatum</i> Essential Oil: Novel Source against Phytopathogenic Bacteria
T2  - Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany

PY  - 2025
VL  - 94
IS  - 2
SN  - 1851-5657

AB  - This study highlights the regulatory potential antibacterial and antiradical of <i>Origanum elongatum</i> essential oil (EO), an endemic medicinal plant of Morocco used for its various properties. The chemical composition of the EO was characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial activity against different agricultural phytopathogens was determined by disc diffusion and microatmosphere methods, as well as by the determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), while the antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH and FRAP assays. To complement the experimental analyses, a molecular docking approach was used to predict and elucidate the mechanisms of action of the identified bioactive compounds, both for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The GC-MS analysis revealed a chemical composition dominated by the major compounds: <i>p-cymene</i>-2-ol (25.31%), thymol (23.88%), and γ-terpinene (19.26%). Furthermore, antibacterial analyses performed using different methodological approaches (disc diffusion, microatmosphere, MIC, and MBC) showed significant inhibitory activity against all phytopathogens tested. Moreover, <i>O. elongatum</i> EO exhibited interesting antioxidant ability with an IC<sub>50</sub> value of 168.25 ± 1.14 µg/mL for DPPH assay and EC<sub>50</sub> value of 164.22 ± 1.04 µg/mL for FRAP assay. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking demonstrated further insights into the interactions between the oil’s active components and bacterial targets, supporting its mode of action. This in-depth characterization highlights the potential of <i>O. elongatum</i> EO as a natural alternative for the biocontrol of plant pathogens. It opens new perspectives for developing natural solutions to protect crops against plant diseases.
KW  - <i>Origanum elongatum</i>; medicinal plant; chemical composition; biological activity; antiradical activity; molecular docking

DO  - 10.32604/phyton.2025.059841