Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from Heinsia crinita leaf

Abstract

The aim of this work is to determine the chemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from Heinsia crinite leaf. The fresh leaves of Heinsia crinita were ground and steam-distilled to get the essential oil. Constituents of the essential oil were separated by gas chromatography while its individual constituents were identified by mass spectrometric analysis using a GC-MS instrument. The antimicrobial susceptibility test of the essential oil was carried out through agar disc diffusion method while the broth method was employed for determination of MIC, MBC and MFC of the essential oil against the test pathogenic microorganisms. The isolated essential oil of Heinsia crinita leaf contains forty organic compounds which are being identified for the first time in this plant species. Some of these compounds like phytol and oleic acid are known to have biological activities. The oil inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococccus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillusnigar and Saccharomyces cereviseae. The oil has antimicrobial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria as well as fungi.