Essential Oils of Lauraceae: Antimicrobial Activity and Constituents of Phoebe macrocarpa CY Wu Leaf Essential Oil from Vietnam

The present paper reports for the first time the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from the leaves of Phoebe macrocarpa C. Y. Wu. The yield of the essential oil was 0.28% (w/w). The essential oil features monoterpene hydrocarbons (3.3%), oxygenated monoterpenes (2.8%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (31.9%) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (46.0%). The major compounds of the essential oil were beta-caryophyllene (16.6%) and spathulenol (12.6%). The essential oil showed moderate antimicrobial activity towards Enterococcus faecalis ATCC299212 with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 128 mu g/mL, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923 (MIC 256 mu g/mL) and Bacillus cereus ATCC14579 (MIC 1280 mu g/mL). The essential oil did not display anti-candidal activity.

Automated summary

This study reports for the first time the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from the leaves of Phoebe macrocarpa C. Y. Wu. The essential oil mainly consists of beta-caryophyllene and spathulenol, and exhibits moderate antimicrobial activity against certain bacteria.