Camphor–Thujone Chemotype and Bioactivities of Artemisia herba-alba Asso Essential Oil from Zintan, Libya: Chemical Composition, Antibacterial, and Antiproliferative Effects

Abdulhamid Giweli; Mona Kremid; Iman Daw; Hanen Najjaa; Rim Gatran; Abdelkarim Ben Arfa; Abdulwhab Kammon

doi:10.54361/ajmas.258468

Authors

Abdulhamid Giweli National Research Center for Tropical and Transboundary Diseases, Alzintan, Libya. Faculty of Science, University of Alzintan, Alzintan, Libya. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4976-4509
Mona Kremid Faculty of Science, University of Alzintan, Alzintan, Libya. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1402-9926
Iman Daw Faculty of Science, University of Alzintan, Alzintan, Libya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9786-5569
Hanen Najjaa Laboratory of Pastoral Ecosystems and Valorization of Spontaneous Plants and Microorganisms, Institute of Arid Regions (IRA), 4119, Medenine, Tunisia. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5311-4218
Rim Gatran Laboratory of Pastoral Ecosystems and Valorization of Spontaneous Plants and Microorganisms, Institute of Arid Regions (IRA), 4119, Medenine, Tunisia. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3337-600X
Abdelkarim Ben Arfa Laboratory of Pastoral Ecosystems and Valorization of Spontaneous Plants and Microorganisms, Institute of Arid Regions (IRA), 4119, Medenine, Tunisia. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6621-3066
Abdulwhab Kammon National Research Center for Tropical and Transboundary Diseases, Alzintan, Libya. Department of Poultry and Fish Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7529-7430

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54361/ajmas.258468

Keywords:

Artemisia herba-alba, Essential Oil, GC-MS, Antimicrobial Activity, Cytotoxicity.

Abstract

Artemisia herba-alba Asso is a medicinal plant renowned for its therapeutic essential oil. This study characterized the chemical profile and bioactivities of the essential oil from Libyan A. herba-alba. The essential oil, obtained via hydrodistillation with a 2% yield, was analyzed by GC-MS/FID and evaluated for antibacterial (disc diffusion) and anticancer (MTT assay) properties. The oil was dominated by camphor (30.53%) and Thujone (22.47%), classifying it as a camphor-thujone chemotype. It exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; 17.33 ± 1.52 mm), and demonstrated potent, dose-dependent cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells with an IC₅₀ of 0.59 mg/mL. The results validate the traditional use of this plant and highlight its potential as a source of antimicrobial and anticancer agents.