Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Rosa Damascena mill. (variety rainbow) from clonal micropropagation
Authors: Odyntsova Vira , Denysenko Olha , Shkopynska Tatiana , Mozul Valentina , Polishchuk Nataliia , Aksonova Ilona , Holovkin Volodymyr , Zhyvora Nataliia 
Published: September 2023

Damask rose of the Veselka variety is an important industrial rose variety used to obtain essential oil. It is widely used in modern cosmetology, perfumery, and aromatherapy. In addition, the essential oil of Damask rose has a whole spectrum of pharmacological properties.
The scientific innovation of this research lies in its foundation on cultivating and acquiring planting materials of the Damask rose in vitro. This approach guarantees controlled conditions for plant growth, the production of robust seedlings, and an enhancement in the precision and credibility of the research outcomes.
Moreover, the study has scientific novelty in that it explores to assess both the quantitative and qualitative constituents of the essential oil in the acquired plant material of the Damask rose. This assessment takes place within the context of cultivating regenerative plants in an outdoor environment. Such an approach acknowledges the potential distinctions in the oil's component composition acquired from plants propagated through this method in comparison to traditional vegetative reproduction. Lastly, the research has scientific novelty in investigating the potential antimicrobial properties of Damask rose essential oil, which could have significant practical implications in the development of new drugs and combatting infectious diseases.
The purpose of the study was to establish the component composition of the essential oil of Rosa damascena Mill., which was grown in vitro, and to determine its antimicrobial effect.
Methods. The object of the study was the essential oil of Damask rose of the Veselka variety, which was grown by the method of clonal micropropagation in vitro. The essential oil was extracted from fresh petals collected during dry weather conditions prior to sunrise by hydrodistillation. Determination of the qualitative composition and quantitative content of volatile substances was carried out by the GC-MS method using an Agilent 7890B chromatograph. Antimicrobial activity was studied in vitro using the disk diffusion method with reference test strains of microorganisms Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Candida albicans ATCC 885-653.
Results. According to the results of the chromato-mass spectrometric study, 41 compounds (6 of which were in the isomeric state) were identified, which was belong to 13 different classes of chemicals. Dominant compounds among terpenoid substances were shown: geraniol – 30.96 %, citronellol – 27.08 %, alkanes: nonadecane – 17.29 %, and heneicosene – 5.46 %.
It was established that the essential oil of Damask rose had a significant antimicrobial effect against strains of C. albicans and E. coli, the diameters of which growth retardation zones ranged from 32-35 mm and 20-23 mm, respectively. In studies with P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, the essential oil showed moderate antibacterial activity: the diameters of the growth retardation zone of these microorganisms ranged from 13 to 15 mm and 11 to 12 mm, respectively.
Conclusion. For the first time, the qualitative composition and quantitative content of volatile substances in the essential oil extracted from the petals of Rosa damascena Mill., Veselka variety, cultivated through the clonal micropropagation in vitro, were explored by chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. The results of the study of antimicrobial activity showed that the studied essential oil exhibits significant fungicidal effects against Candida microorganisms, along with moderate bactericidal effects on gram-negative (E. coli, P. aeruginosa) and gram-positive (S. Aureus) bacteria. These results highlight the potential of this essential oil for further investigation in the realm of developing novel medicines and herbal preparations. Further clinical studies are needed to assess this potential.