Chemical Characterization, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Antibiofilm Activities of Essential Oils of Plumeria alba (Forget-Me-Not)

Abstract

Essential oils are known to possess many biological properties such as antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Plumeria alba flowers are used in traditional remedies for diarrhea, cough, fever, and asthma treatment. This work evaluated the chemical composition and the biological activities of essential oils obtained from the flowers and leaves of Plumeria alba. The essential oils were extracted using the Clevenger-type apparatus and characterized using GC-MS. In the flower essential oil, a total of 17 compounds were identified, with linalool (23.91%), α-terpineol (10.97%), geraniol (10.47%), and phenyl ethyl alcohol (8.65%) being abundant. In the leaf essential oil, a total of 24 compounds were identified, with benzofuran, 2,3-di, hydro-(3.24%), and muurolol (1.40%) being present. Antioxidant activities were assessed using hydrogen peroxide scavenging, phosphomolybdenum, and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging assays. Antimicrobial activities were assessed through a microdilution assay. The essential oil showed antimicrobial activity against test microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 25.0 to 50.0 mg/mL. Biofilm inhibition ranged from 27.14 ± 1.0 to 58.99 ± 0.6 mg/mL. The essential oil exhibited total antioxidant capacities which ranged from 17.5 μg/g AAE to 83 μg/g AAE in the phosphomolybdenum assay. The IC50 values in the DPPH and hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging assays for both flowers and leaves ranged from 18.66 μg/mL to 38.28 μg/mL. Both essential oils also displayed good antibiofilm activities, with the concentration required for half-maximal inhibition of biofilm formation being ∼60 mg/mL for both oils. This study shows that essential oils of Plumeria alba possess good antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and could be used as a source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents.

Recent Advances in Chemistry and Antioxidant/Anticancer Biology of Monoterpene and Meroterpenoid Natural Product

“…Linalool has demonstrated antioxidative properties in a study from Plumeria alba [ 38 ]. The essential oils from this plant have been shown to have antioxidant properties.…”

“…Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy studies identified that linalool composes about 24% of the active essential oil. The samples prepared from the plants flowers gave IC 50 values of 370, 1014, and 1943 μg/mL for the H 2 O 2 scavenging assay, DPPH radical scavenging assay, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay respectively [ 38 ]. In addition, in vivo studies in hemiparkinsonian rat models indicated neuroprotective effects.…”

A narrative review on bacterial biofilm: its formation, clinical aspects and inhibition strategies

“…& L. M. Perry (clove) leaf, suppressed the biofilm formation of an oral anaerobe Porphyromonas gingivalis [105]. The essential oil extracted from the leaves and flowers of Plumeria alba displayed good potential to inhibit the formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms [106]. Most of the biofilm inhibitors are isolated from natural sources; some synthetic compounds, enzymes and chelating agents also possess anti-biofilm activity.…”