Essential Oil Composition Analysis of Cymbopogon Species from Eastern Nepal by GC-MS and Chiral GC-MS, and Antimicrobial Activity of Some Major Compounds

Abstract

Cymbopogon species essential oil (EO) carries significant importance in pharmaceuticals, aromatherapy, food, etc. The chemical compositions of Cymbopogon spp. Viz. Cymbopogon winterianus (citronella) Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass), and Cymbopogon martini (palmarosa) were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), enantiomeric distribution by chiral GC-MS, and antimicrobial activities of some selected pure major compound and root and leaves EOs of citronella. The EO of leaves of Cymbopogon spp. showed comparatively higher yield than roots or other parts. Contrary to citral (neral and geranial) being a predominant compound of Cymbopogon spp., α-elemol (53.1%), α-elemol (29.5%), geraniol (37.1%), and citral (90.4%) were detected as major compounds of the root, root hair with stalk, leaf, and root stalk with shoot of citronella EO, respectively. Palmarosa leaves’ EO contains neral (36.1%) and geranial (53.1) as the major compounds. In the roots of palmarosa EO, the prime components were α-elemol (31.5%), geranial (25.0%), and neral (16.6%). Similarly, lemongrass leaves’ EO contains geraniol (76.6%) and geranyl acetate (15.2%) as major compounds, while the root EO contains a higher amount of geraniol (87.9%) and lower amount of geranyl acetate (4.4%). This study reports for the first time chiral terpenoids from Cymbopogon spp. EOs. Chiral GC-MS gave specific enantiomeric distributions of nine, six, and five chiral terpenoids in the root, root stalk with a shoot, and leaves of citronella EOs, respectively. Likewise, four and three chiral terpenoids in the root and leaves of lemongrass oil followed by two chiral terpenoids in the leaves and root of palmarosa EOs each. Additionally, the root and leaves’ EOs of citronella exhibit noticeable activity on bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus pyogenes and fungus such as Candida albicans, Microsporum canis, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. So, geranial-, neral-, geraniol-, and citronellal-rich EOs can be used as an alternative antimicrobial agent.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) growth rate, essential oil yield and composition as influenced by different soil conditioners under two watering regimes

“…This component is majorly responsible for the quality and biological potency of C. species essential oil, where higher citral content indicates higher purity [ 64 , 65 ], and also for generating ionones and vitamin B [ 11 ]. However, citral content, encompassing both neral and geranial, may exhibit variability due to the involvement of several factors, including plant species, altitude and climate [ 66 , 67 ].…”

Chemical-Enantiomeric Characterization and In-Vitro Biological Evaluation of the Essential Oils from Elsholtzia strobilifera (Benth.) Benth. and E. blanda (Benth.) Benth. from Nepal

“…The EOs obtained from different plants may be adulterated, due to the addition of several carrier oils and other foreign components. 19,20 However, geographical origin and distillation methods generally do not affect the enantiomeric ratios of chiral components present in the EOs. This study is the first to present the Elsholtzia species of Nepalese origin.…”

Microfluidizing Technique Application for Algerian Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf Effects Enhanced Volatile Content, Antimicrobial, and Anti-Mycotoxigenic Properties

“…The citral, geraniol, and limonene components are just a few of the bioactive chemicals found in LGEO that have been shown to have potent antifungal action against various kinds of fungi [ 52 , 53 ]. The most prevalent type of Candida to cause infections in humans, Candida albicans , has been found in previous research to be efficiently inhibited by the LGEO [ 54 , 55 ]. The LGEO has been shown to have antifungal action against various fungi, including the potentially fatal Cryptococcus neoformans and the common athlete’s foot fungus, Trichophyton mentagrophytes [ 52 ].…”