Biological Activities and Chemical Composition of Turkish Sweetgum Balsam (Styrax Liquidus) Essential Oil

Objective: The purpose of this present study was to make a chemical analysis of the composition of essential oil obtained from sweetgum balsam and to examine its antimicrobial, anticholinesterase, alpha-glucosidase inhibition, and antioxidant activities.Methods: The essential oil obtained by the hydrodistillation method was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry systems. The antimicrobial activities of the essential oil were evaluated by disc diffusion and resazurin microplate methods, the anticholinesterase effect was determined by using in vitro AChE and BChE enzymes inhibition assays, and the antioxidant effect was evaluated by ABTS and CUPRAC methods.Results: The main components of the essential oil were determined as styrene (92.6%) and alpha-pinene (2.2%). The essential oil showed weak antimicrobial activity against K. pneumoniae, S. epidermidis but strong antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii, C. glabrata. It showed moderate inhibitory activity to AChE and BChE enzymes, and IC50 values were calculated as 36.5 mu g/mL and 69.5 mu g/mL, respectively. It also showed low inhibition of alpha-glucosidase (IC50 value was 637.2 mu g/mL) and a similar antioxidant effect in the CUPRAC and ABTS method (A0.5 value was 637.2 mu g/mL and IC50 value was 632.2 mu g/mL, respectively).Conclusion: Styrax Liquidus essential oil can be considered a natural antimicrobial agent due to its strong antimicrobial activity capacity against A. baumannii and C. glabrata strains.