Variation in antibacterial activity, thymol and carvacrol contents of wild populations of Thymus daenensis subsp

Thymus daenensis subsp. daenensis is an endemic aromatic and medicinal plant of Iran. The study was conducted to determine variations of antibacterial activity, thymol and carvacrol content in different populations of Thymus daenensis. The flowering aerial parts of Thymus daenensis were collected from ten locations in two provinces, Iran. The antibacterial activity of the extract was tested assays against four pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli). The extract was characterized using HPLC. The amounts of thymol and carvacrol, the main components, varied 13.89 to 35.89 and 7.45 to 23.53 mg/g extract, respectively. The highest content of thymol in all investigated samples was obtained from Sheykhshaban population. The extract of Sheykhshaban population showed the strongest antibacterial activity. This population has the highest elevation in comparison with others. So, the higher altitudes might improve the contents with more effective antimicrobial activity.