| Abstract
| - The essential oil, obtained by using a Clevenger distillation apparatus, and water-soluble (polar) andwater-insoluble (nonpolar) subfractions of the methanol extract of Thymus pectinatus Fisch. et Mey.var. pectinatus were assayed for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. No (or slight)antimicrobial activity was observed when the subfractions were tested, whereas the essential oilshowed strong antimicrobial activity against all microorganisms tested. Antioxidant activities of thepolar subfraction and the essential oil were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxylradical, superoxide radical scavenging, and lipid peroxidation assays. The essential oil, in particular,and the polar subfraction of the methanol extract showed antioxidant activity. The essential oil wasanalyzed by GC/MS, and 24 compounds, representing 99.6% of the essential oil, were identified: thymol, γ-terpinene, p-cymene, carvacrol, and borneol were the main components. An antimicrobialactivity test carried out with fractions of the essential oil showed that the activity was mainly observedin those fractions containing thymol, in particular, and carvacrol. The activity was, therefore, attributedto the presence of these compounds. Other constituents of the essential oil, such as borneol,γ-terpinene, and p-cymene, could be also taken into account for their possible synergistic orantagonistic effects. On the other hand, thymol and carvacrol were individually found to possessweaker antioxidant activity than the crude oil itself, indicating that other constituents of the essentialoil may contribute to the antioxidant activity observed. In conclusion, the results presented here showthat T. pectinatus essential oil could be considered as a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant source. Keywords: Antimicrobial activity; antioxidant activity; essential oil; methanol extract; Thymuspectinatus
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