Antimicrobial activity of some Pacific Northwest woods against anaerobic bacteria and yeast

Abstract

Extracts of woods commonly used for animal bedding were tested for antimicrobial activity. Essential oils from Alaska cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) and old growth Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) as well as methanol extracts of wood from these trees plus western red cedar (Thuja plicata) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) were tested for antimicrobial activity against anaerobic bacteria and yeast. The test microbes included Fusobacterium necrophorum, Clostridium perfringens, Actinomyces bovis and Candida albicans which are common to foot diseases and other infections in animals. The essential oils and methanol extracts were tested using a standardized broth assay. Only extracts of Alaska cedar and western juniper showed significant antimicrobial activity against each of the microbes tested. The essential oil of Douglas fir did show antimicrobial activity against A. bovis at the concentrations tested. The methanol extracts of the heartwood of Douglas fir and the sapwood of ponderosa pine showed no antimicrobial activity. The major chemical components of western juniper (cedrol and alpha- and beta-cedrene) and Alaska cedar (nootkatin) were also tested. In western juniper, alpha- and beta-cedrene were found to be active components. Nootkatin showed activity only against C. albicans. The inhibitory activity in Alaska cedar oil was high enough to justify further efforts to define the other chemical components responsible for the antimicrobial activity.

Acute aquatic toxicity of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) foliage and Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) heartwood oils

“…Both oils were tested up to their solubility concentration (5.0 mg/L); therefore, our study demonstrates that these compounds have little environmental toxicity as evaluated under testing procedures specified for the Toxic Substances Control Act, section 5(e) for the environmental exposure criterion. Previous toxicity studies of these and other essential oil extracts have mainly focused on actually utilizing the antibacterial and insecticidal properties of the chemical components in these oils to human benefit (Hammer et al 1999;Johnston et al 2001;Filipowicz et al 2003;Cavaleiro et al 2006;Keeling and Bohlmann 2006;Dolan et al 2007;Gao et al 2007) and have not analyzed for the toxic effects they might exhibit to aquatic environments where manufacturing waste is deposited. Indeed, this presents a need for research, as these natural products components are not regulated by any specific governing body such as the FDA or USDA.…”

Antimicrobial activity of sugar beet lignocellulose films containing tung oil and cedarwood essential oil

“…The mode of antimicrobial activity of CWO is not well documented but it is generally attributed to thujol, cedrol, a-, and b-cedrene (Johnston et al 2001). A probable antimicrobial mechanism is the disturbance of the cytoplasmic membrane due to the penetration of some oils components (Burt 2004).…”

Water-soluble polysaccharide obtained from Acorus calamus L. classically activates macrophages and stimulates Th1 response

“…Pectic polysaccharides have a wide spectrum of physiological activities, for example, anti-inflammatory [2], anti-hypoglycemic [3], antimicrobial [4] and anti-tumor [5]. This is due to their highmolecular nature, which determines their tendency to aggregate in aqueous solutions, and the presence of the galacturonan core, which defines the properties of pectins as natural ion-exchangers.…”