Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of different samples of Thymus baeticus boiss

Gas chromatography was used to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil of female and hermaphrodite Thymus baeticus Boiss. collected in Ugijar (province of Granada, Spain). The results were compared with the chemical composition of other samples of the same species, collected in Lanjarón. These comparisons showed some qualitative differences, and more obvious quantitative differences, in the compositions of the essential oils. We also investigated the antimicrobial activity of all samples. This activity, although marked in all samples, was greater in essential oils containing larger amounts of geraniol.     

Butyryl- and acetyl-cholinesterase inhibitory activities in essential oils of Salvia species and their constituents

Extracts of Salvia (sage) species have been reported to have cholinergic activities relevant to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. A lack of information on the inhibition of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase, also considered to be a target in the treatment of the disease, prompted this in vitro investigation of the essential oils of S. fruticosa, S. lavandulaefolia, S. of ficinalis and S. of ficinalis var. purpurea for anti-butyrylcholinesterase activity. Dose-dependent inhibition of human cholinesterases by the extracts and constituents was determined using the method of Ellman. A time dependent increase in the inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase by the oils of S. fruticosa and S. of ficinalis var. purpurea was evident. IC(50) values decreased from 0.15 +/- 0.007 and 0.14 +/- 0.007 mg/mL after 5 min to 0.035 +/- 0.016 and 0.06 +/- 0.018 mg/mL after 90 min incubation time respectively. The slow onset of inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase was also shown by individual constituents, such as 3-carene and beta-pinene. Analyses of the chemical composition of the oils and anti-butyrylcholinesterase activity of their constituents revealed that none of the compounds tested would account for the total activity of the oils and that synergy is likely.     

Potentiation of antifungal activity of amphotericin B by essential oil from Cinnamomum cassia

The antifungal activity of the essential oil from Cinnamomum cassia, alone or combined with amphotericin B, a drug widely used for most indications despite side-effects was investigated. The composition of the oil was analysed by GC/MS and characterized by its very high content of cinnamaldehyde (92.2%). The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC 80%), used to evaluate the antifungal activity against Candida albicans, was determined by a macrobroth dilution method followed by a modelling of fungal growth. The essential oil of Cinnamomum cassia exhibited strong antifungal effect (MIC 80% = 0.169 microL/mL and K(aff) = 18,544 microL/mL). A decrease of the MIC 80% of amphotericin B was obtained when the culture medium contained essential oil concentrations ranging from 0.08 to 0.1 microL/mL. The strongest decrease (70%) was obtained when the medium contained 0.1 microL/mL of essential oil. This potentiation of amphotericin B obtained in vitro may show promise for the development of less toxic and more effective therapies especially for the treatment of HIV infection.     

Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of the essential oil from Abies koreana

The essential oils from an alpine needle leaf of Abies koreana, which is a species native to Korea, was obtained by hydrodistillation with 0.9% (v/w) yield and analysed by GC and GC-MS. Sixty-eight constituents, accounting for more than 95.9% of the total oil composition, were identified. The main compounds with concentrations higher than 3% were borneol (27.9%), alpha-pinene (23.2%), beta-pinene (5.8%), terpinene-4-ol (3.8%), bornyl acetate (3.4%) and alpha-terpineol (3.1%). The antibacterial activity of the oil was evaluated against nine microorganisms using disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The essential oil exhibited some broad spectrum antibacterial activity against the tested organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.     

Activity of essential oils of three Micromeria species (Lamiaceae) against micromycetes and bacteria

The chemical composition of essential oils from three Micromeria species: M. dalmatica Benth., M. albanica (Griceb. ex K. Mal) ?ili? and M. thymifolia (Scop.) Fritsch were investigated by GC and GC‐MS and their antibacterial and antifungal activities against seven fungal and six bacterial species were evaluated. Biological assays showed strong fungitoxicity of oils from all three Micromeria spp., particularly M. albanica, against all fungi tested. Essential oils of these species also exerted antibacterial effect against Streptococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus luteus at low concentrations. Higher concentrations of essential oil of M. albanica and M. dalmatica were active against Gram‐negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which could be due to the high content of piperitenone oxide. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Insecticidal activity of essential oils on Triatoma infestans

Sixty-three essential oils isolated from Bolivian plants were tested on Triatoma infestans for ovicidal and larvicidal properties. Three types of test were used: topical application on insects, nymphs on impregnated paper and eggs on impregnated paper. Twenty oils showed an interesting activity on nymphs and eggs when the impregnated paper tests were used. These tests proved to be the most sensitive and were therefore chosen for studying the action of a dozen terpenes present in those active essential oils. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

墨旱莲挥发油化学成分的研究

 目的研究墨旱莲挥发油的化学组成。方法采用水蒸汽蒸馏提取挥发油,用GC-MS进行成分分析。结果鉴定了37个化合物,占挥发油总量的84.57%。结论墨旱莲挥发油的主要组分为1,5,5,8-四甲基-12-氧双环[9,1,0]十五碳-3,7-双烯(10.82%),6,10,14-三甲基-2-十五酮(9.27%),δ-愈创木烯(7.73%),新二氢香芹醇(7.50%),3,7,11,15-四甲基-2-十六烯-1-醇(6.67%),十六烷酸(5.82%),环氧石竹烯(5.39%),十七烷(5.34%)。     

Studies on essential oils: part 10; antibacterial activity of volatile oils of some spices

The essential oils extracted from the seeds of seven spices, Anethum graveolens, Carum capticum, Coriandrum sativum, Cuminum cyminum, Foeniculum vulgare, Pimpinella anisum and Seseli indicum have been studied for antibacterial activity against eight pathogenic bacteria, causing infections in the human body. It has been found that the oil of C. capticum is very effective against all tested bacteria. The oil of C. cyminum and A. graveolens also gave similar results. These oils are equally or more effective when compared with standard antibiotics, at a very low concentration.     

柱果绿绒蒿挥发油化学成分及其抗氧化活性的研究

目的:分析柱果绿绒蒿挥发油的化学成分并进行抗氧化活性研究.方法:采用水蒸气蒸馏法获得挥发油,运用气相色谱-质谱联用进行成分分析,同时运用紫外分光光度计测定其对羟基自由基的清除能力,用酶标仪测定其对1,1-二苯基-2-三硝基苯肼(DPPH)自由基的清除能力,并与2,6--二叔丁基-4-甲基苯酚(BHT)比较.结果:从柱果绿绒蒿的挥发油中鉴定了47个化合物,占其总量的91.866％;挥发油对羟基自由基和DPPH自由基的清除能力均强于BHT.结论:柱果绿绒蒿挥发油的化学成分复杂,主要为十六烷酸(27.653％)和6,10,14-三甲基-2-十五烷酮(16.330％);其清除自由基的能力显示出良好的抗氧化活性.     

The antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Hypericum scabrum, Hypericum scabroides and Hypericum triquetrifolium

The essential oils of Hypericum scabrum, Hypericum scabroides and Hypericum triquetrifolium were studied for the first time for their antimicrobial activity against nine organisms. All the essential oils exhibited some broad spectrum antibacterial activity, at a concentration of 80 microg/mL. The essential oils of Hypericum species showed antibacterial activity against the tested organisms and a yeast.     

藿香和广藿香挥发油对皮肤癣菌和条件致病真菌的抑制作用

 目的：筛选天然抗皮肤真菌新药和开发芳香油植物资源。方法目的：筛选天然抗皮肤真菌新药和开发芳香油植物资源。方法：利用培养基药物浓度稀释法和气相色谱质谱联用技术,研究了藿香和广藿香挥发油对12种皮肤癣菌和条件致病真菌的体外抑制作用和主要化学成分,比较了3种不同地理来源（中国、印度和印度尼西亚爪哇）广藿香油的抗真菌活性。结果：这4种挥发油都可以选择性地完全抑制皮肤癣菌的生长繁殖,其中中国广藿香油的活性最强,其最低抑制浓度（MIC）50～400 μl·L^-1,主要化学成分为广藿香醇、异愈创木烯和广藿香烯。藿香油最弱,MIC位于700～1000 μl·L^-1,主要成分是薄荷酮类化合物。结论：证明了广藿香油的选择性皮肤癣菌抑制作用,为进一步筛选抗真菌外用新药提供了重要依据。 ：利用培养基药物浓度稀释法和气相色谱一质语联用技术,研究了蓄香和广曹香挥发油时12种皮肤癣菌和条件致病真菌的体外抑制作用和主要化学成分,比较了3种不同地理来源(中国、印度和印度尼西亚爪哇)广茬香油的杭真菌活性。结果：这4种挥发油都可以选择性地完全抑制皮肤癣菌的生长繁殖,其中中国广着香油的活性最强,其最低抑制浓度(MIC)50～400μl·L/〈sup〉-1〈sup〉,主要化学成分为广蓉香醇、异愈创木烯和广蓉香烯。蓉香油最弱,MIC位于700～1000μl·Ｌ〈sup〉-1〈sup〉,主要成分是薄荷酮类化合物。结论：证明了广茬香油的选择性皮肤癣菌抑制作用,为进一步筛选杭真菌外用新药提供了重要依据。     

Insecticidal activity of essential oils on Aedes aegypti larvae

The insecticidal activity of essential oils from 52 Bolivian plant species has been evaluated on Aedes aegypti larvae. The active components of essential oils showing an interesting larvicidal effect have been studied. The monoterpenes E-anethol and E-nerolidol were found to be the active principles of the most toxic essential oils. The lethal concentrations (LC₅₀ and LC₉₅) of some essential oils, E-anethol, E-nerolidol and a reference insecticide (Temephos) are given. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Essential oil composition and antifungal activity of Foeniculum vulgare Mill obtained by different distillation conditions

The influence of different hydrodistillation conditions was evaluated from the standpoint of essential oil yield, chemical composition and antifungal activity from seeds of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Three hydrodistillation conditions were considered. The main constituents of the oils were: (E)-anethole (72.27%-74.18%), fenchone (11.32%-16.35%) and methyl chavicol (3.78%-5.29%). The method of distillation significantly effected the essential oil yield and quantitative composition, although the antifungal activity of the oils against some fungi was only slightly altered.     

Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of essential oil from Hedychium coronarium

The essential oil from fresh and dried rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium on GC-MS analysis resulted in the identification of 44 and 38 constituents representing 93.91% and 95.41%, respectively. The major components of the essential oil from fresh and dried Hedychium coronarium rhizome were 1,8-cineole (41.42%, 37.44%), beta-pinene (10.39%, 17.4%) and alpha-terpineol (8.8%, 6.7%). The aromatic oil has antifungal as well as antibacterial effects. The antimicrobial activities of the essential oil were individually evaluated against four microorganisms, including two bacteria and two fungi. It was found that the antimicrobial activity was higher in the fresh sample than the dried. Both samples showed a better activity against Trichoderma sp. and Candida albicans than against the bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.     

6种代表性沉香精油的化学成分及抗氧化、抗炎活性比较分析

目的 比较不同来源、不同提取方式的6种沉香精油化合物组成、抗氧化能力及抗炎活性的差异。方法 采用气相色谱-飞行时间质谱联用仪（gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry,GC-TOF MS）对6种沉香精油的化学成分进行分析,并测定其清除1,1-二苯基-2-三硝基苯肼（1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine,DPPH）与2,2-氮杂双-(3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸)二铵盐[2,2-azabis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt,ABTS]自由基的能力,考察其对脂多糖（lipopolysaccharide,LPS）诱导的小鼠单核巨噬细胞RAW264.7活力的影响。结果 从通体香水蒸气蒸馏精油（TTS）、通体香超临界萃取精油（TTC）、板头香水蒸气蒸馏精油（BTS）、板头香超临界萃取精油（BTC）、奇楠沉香水蒸气蒸馏精油（QNS）和奇楠沉香超临界萃取精油（QNC）中鉴定出的化合物数量分别为48、55、59、71、72和35种,所含香味物质小分子芳香物质及倍半萜类成分相对含量之和分别为81.42%、87.84%、89.03%、62.05%、63.83%和28.36%,所含2-(2-苯乙基)色酮类化合物相对含量分别为0、0、0.25%、22.42%、17.48%、60.42%。6种沉香精油均具有清除DPPH和ABTS自由基能力,且质量浓度在0.5～5 mg/mL与自由基清除能力均呈正相关。3种水蒸气蒸馏沉香精油（BTS、TTS、QNS）对LPS诱导RAW264.7细胞的半数抑制浓度（half inhibitory concentration,IC₅₀）分别为18.61、30.30、18.05 μg/mL,而3种超临界CO₂萃取沉香精油（BTC、TTC、QNC）的IC₅₀值分别为41.98、38.45、24.50 μg/mL。结论 超临界萃取沉香精油同水蒸气蒸馏沉香精油化合物组成相差较大,其能够提取出更多的脂肪酸类和色酮类化合物;板头香和通体香采用同一提取方法所得精油化学成分相似,而奇楠沉香中含有更多含量的香味物质和2-(2-苯乙基)色酮类化合物。3种超临界萃取沉香精油清除DPPH自由基能力均强于水蒸气蒸馏沉香精油,而抗炎活性则相反,且3种沉香来源中,奇楠沉香精油抗炎能力最佳。     

Antifungal effect of various essential oils against Candida albicans. Potentiation of antifungal action of amphotericin B by essential oil from Thymus vulgaris

The antifungal effect of the essential oil from Satureja montana L., Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Lavandula hybrida Reverchon, Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merril and Perry, Origanum vulgare L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and six chemotypes of Thymus vulgaris L. on Candida albicans growth were studied. The most efficiency was obtained with the essential oil from Thymus vulgaris thymol chemotype (MIC 80% = 0.016 microL/mL and Kaff = 296 microL/mL). The presence in the culture medium of essential oil from Thymus vulgaris thymol chemotype (0.01, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 microg/mL) and amphotericin B involved a decrease of the MIC 80% of amphotericin B. In contrast, the combination of amphotericin B and low concentrations (0.00031-0.0025 microg/mL) of essential oil was antagonistic. The strongest decrease (48%) of the MIC 80% was obtained with medium containing 0.2 microL/mL of essential oil. These results signify that the essential oil of Thymus vulgaris thymol chemotype potentiates the antifungal action of amphotericin B suggesting a possible utilization of this essential oil in addition to antifungal drugs for the treatment of mycoses.     

Antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oils of Mentha suaveolens

The essential oils (EO) of Mentha suaveolens, a wild Labiatae, which grows in several regions in Morocco, were characterized and their antimicrobial activity assessed. The main aromatic constituents of this plant, as characterized by IR, NMR and MS studies, were pulegone, piperitenone oxide (PEO) and piperitone oxide (PO) occurring in different amounts depending on the subspecies. These constituents as well as a series of other aromatic products such as carvone, limonene and menthone, were tested for their antimicrobial activity against 19 bacteria including Gram-positive and Gram-negative and against three fungi, using solid phase and microtitration assays. Pulegone-rich essential oil inhibited efficiently all the micro-organisms tested with MICs ranging between 0.69 and 2.77 ppm. Among the components from Mentha suaveolens EO, pulegone was the most effective against the tested microorganisms, followed by PEO and PO. The structure-activity relationship is discussed on the basis of the activity of the other aromatic derivatives tested such as carvone, limonene, menthone and the profile of the essential oils of Mentha suaveolens was compared with other Mentha species.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Cryptomeria japonica

The composition and the antibacterial activity of the essential oil obtained from Cryptomeria japonica D. Don on oral bacteria were studied. The chemical composition of the essential oil was analysed by GC and GC-MS. Sixty-eight compounds accounting for 95.82% of the oil were identified. The main compounds in the oil were alpha-pinene (6.07%), sabinene (8.86%), terpinen-4-ol (9.77%), alpha-terpineol (6.13%), elemol (11.17%) and 10(15)-cadinen-4-ol (7.16%). The essential oil and some of its major compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity against 15 different genera of oral bacteria. The essential oil of C. japonica exhibited considerable inhibitory effects against all bacteria tested (MICs, 0.025-0.05 mg/mL; MBCs, 0.025-0.1 mg/mL), while its major compounds demonstrated various degrees of growth inhibition.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils from two species of Eucalyptus

The leaf-essential oil from Eucalyptus robusta and E. saligna, the latter in two phenologic stages, were analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major constituent in E. robusta oil was the monoterpene alpha-pinene (73.0% of the total amount). The oil composition of the E. saligna was dependent of the phenologic stage. In the vegetative phase, the major constituents were p-cymene (54.2%) and gamma-terpinene (43.8%), while during the blossoming alpha-pinene became the major constituent followed by p-cymene (22.5%). Additionally, the antimicrobial activity for all three oils was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. The E. robusta oil presented the highest growth inhibition for all the microorganisms tested.     

植物精油抑制真菌及真菌毒素的研究进展

真菌及真菌毒素极易污染食品、果蔬、中药材、农产品等基质使其霉败变质,这不仅造成巨大的资源浪费和经济损失,还会带来潜在的安全隐患,严重威胁人们的身体健康和生命安全,这一问题已引起全球性的广泛关注。研究者们竭力探索科学有效的策略和措施抑制或防止诸多基质的真菌和真菌毒素污染。化学合成抑菌剂备受欢迎,但是同时存在残毒、公害、抗性等问题,已被禁止使用。植物精油因具有抑菌活性强、抑菌谱广、高挥发性、生物降解性良好、在基质中低残留、无毒或低毒对人体相对安全、对环境友好等优点,可作为潜在的新型绿色防霉抑菌剂。针对植物精油的分布、抑制真菌生长及真菌毒素合成的作用、抑菌广谱性、安全性评价、抑菌机制进行综述,以期为研发天然、绿色抗真菌剂提供科学参考。