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Chemical
composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil
of Pinus caribaea from Nigeria
O. Oluwadayo
Sonibare* and K. Olakunle
Chemistry Department, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
sonibaredayo@yahoo.com.
Accepted 18 June, 2008 |
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The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from
the needles of Pinus caribaea by hydrodistillation
was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. A
total of twenty nine compounds, representing 93.8% of the
oil were identified. The major constituents of the essential
oil were β-phellandrene (67.9%), β-caryophyllene (10.2%) and
α-pinene (5.4%). High concentration of β-phellandrene in the
oil suggests its usefulness as fragrance. The antibacterial
activity of the essential oil was evaluated using disc
diffusion method. The essential oil exhibited moderate
activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa at minimum
inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1000 ug/ml and no activity
against Candida albican, Bacillus subtilis,
Staphylococcus typhi, Bacillus aureus and
Proteus mirabilis. The antibacterial activity of the oil
against P. aeruginosa suggests its potential use as a
remedy for food-borne diseases.
Key words:
Pinus caribbea, Pinaceae, essential oil, β-phellandrene,
β-caryophyllene, antibacterial. |
