Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of anthospermum emirnense and anthospermum perrieri (Rubiaceae)

The essential oils of Anthospermum emirnense Baker and Anthospermum perrieri Homolle ex Puff, obtained by hydrodistillation in 0.03 and 0.02% yield, respectively, were analyzed by GC/MS. In both cases, the major constituents consisted of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The two species showed an important qualitative similarity, with 40 compounds common to A. emirnense and A. perrieri, including β-elemene, trans-β- caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, and τ-cadinol, which were major components in both cases. When tested for antimicrobial activity, both essential oils showed similar profiles and exhibited interesting minimal-inhibitory- concentration (MIC) values towards Bacillus subtilis, Chryseobacterium indologenes, Flavimonas oryzihabitans, and Yersinia enterocolitica. Copyright © 2011 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.