## 3 Results and Discussion
### Antimicrobial Activity  
The results of antimicrobial activity testing of the NEO are shown in Table 3. NEO exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects on the microorganism strains tested with inhibition zones between 22.33 \(\pm\) 0.57 mm and 29.66 \(\pm\) 1.52 mm in diameter, respectively. MIC, MBC, and MFC values ranged from 5 to 10 mg/mL. The results revealed that _S. pyogenes_ and _C. albicans_ were the most susceptible tested strains to the NEO action (Table 3). Similar antifungal activity was previously reported with other EOs _Nepeta_ species, such as _N. leucophylla_, _N. elliptica_, and _N. erceta_[41], while _N. urcanica_[42] and _N. sintenisi_[32] EOs displayed higher activity against _C. albicans_. Furthermore, the NEO's antimicrobial effects recorded against _S. aureus_, _K. pneumoniae_, and _S. enterica_ were higher than those previously reported for _N. rtanjensis_[43], _N. persica_[44], and _N. menthoides_[45]. Additionally, our results revealed that NEO presents antibacterial potential against _p. aeruginosa_. In contrast, other studies on _Nepeta_ species' EOs antimicrobial activity recorded low inhibitory effects or no activity against _P. aeruginosa_[43, 46]. However, a direct comparison of previously reported MIC, MBC, and MFC data is limited by inter-study variations, such as the EOs isolation method, the growth stage of inoculum, incubation duration, and culture medium used [42]. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Samples Tested**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Parameters**} \\ \cline{2-3}  & **DPPH, IC\({}_{\text{50}}\) (mg/mL)** & **\(\beta\)-Carotene Bleaching (RAA *) (\%)** \\ \hline
**NEO** & 0.032 \(\pm\) 0.005 & 92.31 \(\pm\) 0.17 \\
**BHA 1 ** & 0.086 \(\pm\) 0.006 & Nt 5  \\
**BHT 2 ** & 0.013 \(\pm\) 0.009 & 100 \\
**alpha-Tocopherol** & 0.142 \(\pm\) 0.011 & Nt 5 ** \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Antioxidant activities of the NEO by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and \(\beta\)-carotene bleaching assay. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline
**Bacterial and Yeast** & **Disk Diffusion (mm)** & **MIC Value (mg/mL)** & **MBC Value (mg/mL)** & **MFC Value (mg/mL)** \\ \hline _Streptococcus mutans_ & 25.66 \(\pm\) 0.57 & 5 & 5 & - \\ \hline _Streptococcus pyogenes_ & 29.66 \(\pm\) 1.52 & 5 & 5 & - \\ \hline _Staphylococcus aureus_ & 26.33 \(\pm\) 0.57 & 10 & 10 & - \\ \hline _Enterococcus faecalis_ & 25.33 \(\pm\) 0.57 & 10 & 10 & - \\ \hline _Escherichia coli_ & 23.66 \(\pm\) 1.52 & 10 & 10 & - \\ \hline _Klebsiella pneumoniae_ & 26.33 \(\pm\) 0.57 & 10 & 10 & - \\ \hline _Salmonella enterica_ & 26 \(\pm\) 1.00 & 10 & 10 & - \\ \hline _Shigella flexneri_ & 25.33 \(\pm\) 0.57 & 10 & 10 & - \\ \hline _Pseudomonas aeruginosa_ & 22.33 \(\pm\) 0.57 & 10 & 10 & - \\ \hline _Candidida albicans_ & 28.33 \(\pm\) 1.52 & 5 & - & 5 \\ \hline _Candidida parapysilosis_ & 26.66 \(\pm\) 1.52 & 5 & - & 5 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Antimicrobial activity of the NEO by disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). The mechanisms of antimicrobial action of the EOs still are not completely understood. Several studies report that terpenoid compounds by their lipophilic character penetrate through bacterial membranes and exhibit inhibitory activity on the functional properties of the cell, and finally cause leakage of the internal contents of the cell [47; 48; 49]. Based on these considerations, NEO's antimicrobial activity may be attributed to the high content of terpenoid compounds. These assumptions are supported by previous studies that reported repetalactones as the active agents responsible for antimicrobial activities of several _Nepeta_ species such as _N. menthoides_[45], _N. elliptica_[41], _N. tranjensis_, and _N. sibirica_[50]. Moreover, the literature reports described elemol as a well-known chemical with pronounced antimicrobial effects [51; 52; 53; 54].