Affiliations: University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry,
Bucharest, Romania | University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila",
Faculty of Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania | University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology,
Microbiology Department, Bucharest, Romania | Fruit Research Institute Pitesti Maracineni, Arges,
Romania
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Eliza Oprea, University of
Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, 4–12 Regina Elisabeta, 030018,
Bucharest, Romania. Tel.: +40 21 315 9249; Fax: +40 21 315 9249; E-mail:
eliza_oprea2003@yahoo.com
Abstract: Ribes nigrum buds are used in medicine for the diuretic and
antiseptic properties of their volatile compounds. We present in this paper
comparative data concerning the chemical composition of Ribes nigrum buds
essential oils obtained from three blackcurrant varieties. Essential oils were
isolated by steam distillation and were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled
with mass spectrometry. The Ribes nigrum essential oils (extracted from all
three varieties) exhibited similar and large antibacterial spectrum, acting
against Acinetobacter (A.) baumanii, Escherichia (E.) coli, Pseudomonas (P.)
aeruginoasa and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, as proved by the very low MIC
values observed for the respective strains. The subinhibitory concentrations of
the essential oils induced a decrease in the bacterial ability to colonize the
inert substratum for A. baumanii, E. coli and S. aureus, demonstrating that
besides the bactericidal activity, the Ribes nigrum essential oils also exhibit
anti-pathogenic potential.
