ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM NATIVE TREE SPECIES IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

The objective of this exploratory work was to analyze the yield and chemical composition of essential oils (EO) from Blepharocalyx salicifolius [BS] and from two pools of EO obtained from Nectandra megapotamica [NM1 and NM2], as well as to evaluate their antifungal properties against the fungi Pycnoporus sanguineus (whiterot) and Gloeophyllum trabeum (brown-rot). The EO were obtained by hydrodistillation and its components were identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and quantified with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). For the evaluation of antifungal activity, the mycelial growth index (MGI) and the mycelial growth inhibition (GI) of BS were determined at concentrations of 1, 2 and 5 µL.mL-1, and 0.25; 0.5 and 1 µL.mL-1 for MN1 and NM2. The yield of EOs was 2.29% (BS), 0.14% (NM1) and 0.17% (NM2). The major components of BS EO were eucalyptol (63.44%) and β-caryophyllene (13.68%), from NM1 were bicyclogermacrene (16.14%) and α-pinene (15.93%), and for NM2, α-pinene (19.04%) and sabinene (16.66%). EO NM1 (1μL.mL-1) showed the best result for antifungal activity, inhibiting about 57.55 ± 0.68 % of P. sanguineus growth and 58.82 ± 0.78 % in the test with G. trabeum.