Pharmacognosy Research [Phcog Res.] Vol 1, Issue 3, May-Jun, 2009 Page 120-124 [Rapid Publication] A Supplement to Pharmacognosy Magazine – [Phcog Mag.] Rapid publication process initiated: 20 February, 2009 Accepted: 9 April, 2009 120 www.phcogres.com Copyright 2009 Phcog.net | Available Online : © PHCOG RES.: Research Article Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Artemisia tschernieviana Besser from Iran Masoud Kazemi 1* , Mohammad Dakhili 1 , Abdolhossein Rustaiyan 2* , Kambiz Larijani 2 , Mohammad Ali Ahmadi 1 and Valiolah Mozaffarian 3 1 Department of Applied Chemistry and Faculty of Medicine, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O.Box 37185/364, Qom, Iran 2 Department of Chemistry, Science and Research Campus, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 3 Iran Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran * Author for Correspondence: arustaiyan@yahoo.it ; masoud_kazemitabaei@yahoo.com ABSTRACT: The oil obtained from hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of Artemisia tschernieviana was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The main constituents of the 30 identified components were p-cymene (21.3%), β-pinene (17.8%), α-pinene (9.4%), γ-terpinene (9.1%), (Z)-cis-ocimene (8.8%), and α-cadinol (8.1%). This species is rich in monoterpenes. Antimicrobial activity was determined against six bacterial strains and one fungal strain. The results show that this oil is active against all the tested strains. Key words: Artemisia tschernieviana Besser; Essential oil; Antimicrobial activity; p-cymene; β-pinene; α-pinene; γ-terpinene; (Z)-beta-ocimene; α-cadinol INTRODUCTION Artemisia (Asteraceae) is one of the largest and most widely distributed genus of the approximately 60 genera in the Anthemideae tribe. This genus comprises more than 400 species, and is predominantly distributed in the northern temperate region of the world in the 0–50 cm precipitation area. Thirty-four of them have been reported in Iran and some are endemic (1-2). Some substances from the genus have shown antimalarial, antiviral, antitumoral, antipyretic, antihemorrhagic, anticoagulant, antianginal, antioxidant, antihepatitis, antiulcerogenic, antispasmodic, anticomplementary and interferon- inducing activity (3-4). A. annua (Qinhaosu) is a traditional medicinal herb in China. It is now cultivated on a commercial scale in China and Vietnam for its antimalarial sesquiterpene(a lactone artemisinin) (5-6) and essential oil. The extract of the aerial parts of A. diffusa collected in the Province of Khorassan (Iran) afforded, in addition to several eudesmanolides, a new type of sesquiterpene lactone (Tehranolide) with an endoperoxide group that probably has the same effect as the antimalarial agent artemisinin. The antimalarial properties of the extract and the fraction that contains sesquiterpene lactones including Tehranolide have been reported (7-8). A. austriaca and A. spicigera are odorous herbs used as antiseptics and stomachics in folk medicine (9). A. vestita is a herb that has been widely used in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine for treating inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and contact dermatitis anepsis (10). A. dracunculus has been used orally as an antiepileptic in which its anticonvulsant potential has been assessed (11). Studies on Artemisia has ascertained the presence of coumarin (12), acetylenic compounds and sesquiterpene lactones (13-18). Although literature f the essential oils of different species of Artemisia (19-37) and its antimicrobial effects (22-23-30-34-36) is prevalent, no studies have been reported on the oil of A. tschernieviana. Therefore, we decided to investigate its chemical compositions and antimicrobial activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS Plant material - The aerial parts of A. tschernieviana were collected during the flowering stage in the