Phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity coix lacryma-jobi Oil

Abstract

Coix lacryma-jobi (Hanjeli) is known to posses anti-microbial properties. Therefore, phytochemical compounds of C. lacryma-jobi have been studied to produce novel antimicrobial agents as treatments against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.The objective of this study was to determine the phytochemical composition and antibacterial activity of the C. lacryma-jobi oil against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis. The phytochemical composition of the oil was determined via gas chromatography mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS). Moreover, agar disk and agar well diffusion were employed to screen the antibacterial activity of the oil. An agar well diffusion test was implemented to determinate MIC's (minimum inhibitory concentrations). Dodecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, 2,3-dihydroxypropylester, 1,3-dioctanoin, N-methoxy-N-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyran-6-carboxamide, propanamide, 5-Amino-1-(quinolin-8-yl)-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxamide, and pyridine were identified in the C. lacryma-jobi oil. The MIC value of the oil was 0.031 g/L and the MBC of the oil was 0.125 g/L effective in all test bacteria. Dodecanoic acid displayed inhibitory activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, our research demonstrated C. lacryma-jobi (Hanjeli) oil exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and B. subtilis. These research suggest that C. lacryma-jobi root oil could be used for medicinal purposes; however clinical and in vivo tests must be performed to evaluate its potential as an antibacterial agent.