Composition and bioactivities of the leaf essential oil of Ficus religiosa Linn.

Abstract

The leaf essential oil of Ficus religiosa from Nepal was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. The major components of the leaf oil were eugenol (27.0%), itaconic anhydride (15.4%), 3-methyl-cyclopenetane-1, 2-dione (10.8%), 2-phenylethyl alcohol (8.0%), and benzyl alcohol (4.2%). The leaf oil was screened for antimicrobial activity and was marginally active (MIC = 625 μg/mL) against Aspergillus niger, but was inactive (MIC = 2500 μg/mL) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. The oil was marginally active in the brine shrimp lethality test (LC50 = 50 μg/mL) and also showed in-vitro cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 human breast tumor cell line (80±5% kill at 100 mg/mL).