Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils from different parts of Litsea cubeba

Abstract

The composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of different parts of Litsea cubeba, including roots, stems, leaves, alabastra (flower buds), flowers, and fruits, were investigated by GC (RI) and GC/MS. The antimicrobial activity of the oils was assessed with disc diffusion and microbroth dilution assays. The results showed large variations in the composition among the different oils. The major components in the oils from roots and fruits, from stems, leaves, and alabastra, and from flowers were citral B (neral), β-phellandrene, and β-terpinene, respectively. The inhibition zone (DD) and MIC values for the bacterial strains tested, which were all sensitive to the essential oil of L. cubeba, were in the range of 10.1-35.0 mm and 100-1000 μg/ml, respectively. Hence, the oils of the various parts showed moderate activity against the tested bacteria. This investigation showed that the antibacterial activity of L. cubeba was attributed to the essential oils, thus they can be a potential medicinal resource. © 2010 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG.