Chemical Analysis and Biological Activity of the Essential Oils of Two Endemic Soqotri Commiphora Species

Abstract

The barks of two endemic Commiphora species namely, Commiphora ornifolia (Balf.f.) Gillett and Commiphora parvifolia Engl., were collected from Soqotra Island in Yemen and their essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation. The chemical composition of both oils was investigated by GC and GC-MS. Moreover, the essential oils were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria, two Gram-negative bacteria and one yeast species by using a broth micro-dilution assay for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and for their antioxidant activity by measuring the DPPH radical scavenging activity. A total of 45 constituents of C. ornifolia (85.6%) and 44 constituents of C. parvifolia (87.1%) were identified. The oil of C. ornifolia was characterized by a high content of oxygenated monoterpenes (56.3%), of which camphor (27.3%), α-fenchol (15.5%), fenchone (4.4%) and borneol (2.9%) were identified as the main components. High contents of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (36.1%) and aliphatic acids (22.8%) were found in C. parvifolia oil, in which caryophyllene oxide (14.2%), β-eudesmol (7.7%), bulnesol (5.7%), T-cadinol (3.7%) and hexadecanoic acid (18.4%) predominated. The results of the antimicrobial assay showed that both oils exhibited moderate to high antibacterial activity especially against Gram-positive bacteria. C. ornifolia oil was the most active. In addition, the DPPH-radical scavenging assay exhibited only weak antioxidant activities for both oils at the high concentration tested.

Chemical characterization and in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oil from Commiphora wildii Merxm. (omumbiri) resin

“…The major constituents of the essential oil from Commiphora species are terpenoids, which vary from species to species . Several studies on other Commiphora species revealed the presence of mostly monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids in their essential oils . For instance, the GC–MS analysis of C. myrrha essential oil revealed the presence of a relative abundance of 58.9% monoterpenes and 23.3% sesquiterpenes .…”

“…It has been shown that Commiphora species display a wide range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities . No studies have been conducted on the biological activity of C. wildii essential oil, however.…”

“…7 It has been shown that Commiphora species display a wide range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. 1,[8][9][10][11][12][13] No studies have been conducted on the biological activity of C. wildii essential oil, however. Knowledge on the potential antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of C. wildii essential oil is desired by perfume, cosmetics, and detergent manufacturers in order to add value to their products when using the oil as an ingredient.…”

Antibacterial Activity of Skin Secretion of Bleeding Toad <i>Leptophryne cruentata</i> and Javan Tree Frog <i>Rhacophorus margaritifer</i>

“…Essential oils of the plant Lavandula dentata of eastern Maroco, that contains about 3% myrtenol was found to have antibacterial activity against E. coli, Salmonella sp., Neisseria meningitidis, S. aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Listeria monocytogenes (Imelouane et al, 2009). Essential oils of Commiphora ornifolia bark collected from Soqotra Island in Yemen, that contains about 0.7% myrtenol was also found to inhibit growth of bacteria S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Mothana et al, 2010).…”

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Lavender and Marjoram Essential Oils

“…Several studies demonstrated that, the antibacterial activity of many essential oils and spices could be ascribed to the presence of phenolic components or substances other than phenolic compounds (82) , presence of linalool and ß-pinene (83,48) , oxygenated monoterpenes such as camphor, borneol, linalool and α-terpineol (85)(86)(87) . Moreover, the compounds present in the greatest proportions are not necessarily responsible for the total activity; the involvement of less abundant constituents should also be considered (88) , the presence of synergy between the major components and other constituents of the oils leading to various degrees of antimicrobial activity.…”