Syagrus coronata seed oils have antimicrobial action against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Becc. (Arecaceae) is a native Brazilian palm (ouricuri) and despite the use of its derived products by traditional communities, few scientific reports have been published regarding its biomedical activity. This study investigates the chemical composition and anti-Staphylococcus aureus effects of both manufactured oil (SCO) and essential oil (SCEO) from S. coronata seeds. SCO was provided by rural inhabitants, while SCEO was obtained by hydrodistillation. Chemical characterization was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In vitro antimicrobial activity was determined against 17 S. aureus strains, including multidrug-resistant strains. Eleven compounds were detected in the SCEO, octanoic (28.61%) and dodecanoic acids (22.97%) were the major constituents. On the other hand, nineteen fatty acids (FA) were identified in the SCO, the major ones were dodecanoic acid (41.58%) and 9-octadecenoic acid (23.81%). Both oils showed strong activity against all tested strains. Most strains (68.75%) were sensitive to SCEO at minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) between 0.002 and 0.01 μL/mL; and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) ranging from 0.002 to 0.312 μL/mL. SCO inhibited the growth of 52.94% of strains with MIC between 0.16 and 0.625 μL/mL. MBC values for SCO were between 0.16 and 5 μL/mL; however, 47.05% of isolates were killed by 2.5 μL/mL of SCO. These results encourage further research into the toxicological and pharmacological aspects of SCO and SCEO. Such work would likely support their use in the development of new antimicrobial agents for the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. Key words: Caatinga, essential oil, anti-Staphylococcus aureus, natural products.