Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from Brazilian plants Acanthospermum australe, Calea fruticosa and Mikania glauca.

Abstract

The essential oils of leaves of Acanthospermum australe, Calea fruticosa and Mikania glauca (Asteraceae) from southeastern Brazil were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Oxygenated sesquiterpenes were predominant in C. fruticosa (47.8%) whereas sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons constituents predominated in A. australe (85.1%) and M. glauca (63.3%) oils. Caryophyllene oxide, α-cadinol and selin-11-en-4-α-ol were the most abundant components in C. fruticosa. Germacrene D, (E)-caryophyllene and bicyclogermacrene were the major components observed in the essential oil obtained from the leaves of A. australe and M. glauca. The antimicrobial capacity of the oils was tested. The results showed that the oils have antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria and Candida glabrata, with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 50 and 1000 μg/ml.