Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the essential oils of Etlingera elatior and Cinnamomum pubescens Kochummen

BACKGROUND: Plant essential oils are widely used as fragrances and flavours. Therefore, the essential oils from the leaves of Cinnamomum pubescens Kochummen (CP) and the whole plant of Etlingera elatior (EE) were investigated for their antioxidant, antibacterial and phytochemical properties. RESULTS: CP and EE were found to contain appreciable levels of total phenolic contents (50.6 and 33.41 g kg(-1) as gallic acid equivalent) and total flavonoid contents (205.6 and 244.8 g kg(-1) as rutin equivalent), respectively. DPPH free radical scavenging activity of CP is superior to EE (P < 0.05) showing IC(50) of 77.2 and 995.1 mu g mL(-1), respectively. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella choleraesuis were tested against CP and EE. Only MRSA was the most susceptible bacteria to CP. GC/MS studies resulted in the identification of 79 and 73 compounds in CP and EE, respectively. The most abundant components of EE included beta-pinene (24.92%) and 1-dodecene (24.31%). While the major compound in CP were 1,6-octadien-3-ol,3,7-dimethyl (11.55%), cinnamaldehyde (56.15%) and 1-phenyl-propane-2,2-diol diethanoate (11.38%). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the essential oils from Cinnamomum pubescens Kochummen and Etlingera elatior could be potentially used as a new source of natural antioxidant and antibacterial in the food and pharmaceutical industries. (C) 2010 Society of Chemical Industr

Clausena excavata Burm. f. (Rutaceae): A review of its traditional uses, pharmacological and phytochemical properties

The present review describes the morphological, traditional, phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Clausena excavata (Burm. f., Rutaceae). The plant grows wild in the tropical and subtropical parts of Asia and represents one of the richest sources of medicinal natural products. It is intensively used currently in traditional medicine for treatment of different illnesses. One part or a mixture of two or more parts of the plant in the form of powder or liquid doze is usually given to the patient. Phytochemically, many pure compounds from several secondary metabolite groups of C. excavata have been isolated from different parts of the plant including leaves, stems, stem barks, roots, root barks, rhizomes and flowers. Their chemical structures however, have been elucidated using several spectroscopic techniques. Pharmacologically, many secondary metabolites including alkaloids and coumarins have been tested for their biological activities. Anticancer, immunomodulatory, anti-HIV-1, antioxidant, antibacterialial, insecticidal, antifungal, antinociceptive, anti-malarial and antiplatelet activities of this plant have been detailed here. This paper enumerates an overview of its phytochemical and pharmacological properties, which may provide assistance to researchers to determine further, the efficacy and potency of C. excavata as medicinal plant

Chemical composition and antioxidant properties of the essential oil of Cinnamomum altissimum Kosterm. (Lauraceae)

The essential oil of the bark of Cinnamomum altissimum Kosterm. obtained by hydrodistillation was analyzed by capillary GC and GC–MS. The oil was characterized by linalool (36.0%), methyl eugenol (12.8%), limonene (8.3%), α-terpineol (7.8%) and terpinen-4-ol (6.4%). The content of total phenolics in the extracts was determined spectrometrically according to the Folin–Ciocalteu procedure and calculated as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). A total phenolic compound was 50.41 ± 0.98 μg GAE/mg oil. The extract displayed antioxidant activities, with an IC50 value of 38.5 ± 4.72 μg/ml, using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and 345.2 ± 14.8 μM Fe (II)/g dry mass using ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay