Essential Oil Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Santiria trimera Bark

Abstract

The composition and the antimicrobial activity of the bark oil of Santiria trimera (Oliv.) Aubrév., a plant widely used by the traditional healers in S. Tomé and Príncipe, especially for wound healing, are reported for the first time. The analysis of the essential oil was carried out by GC and GC-MS. The oil contains a high content of monoterpenes, α-pinene (66.6 %) being the major constituent, followed by β-pinene (20.0 %). The essential oil was active against both bacteria and fungi strains, except Staphylococcus epidermidis and Aspergillus niger. It exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against Proteus vulgaris and Cryptococcus neoformans with MICs values of 1.11 μl/ml and lower than 0.71 μl/ml, respectively.

References

• 1 Martins A P. Etnofarmacologia e óleos essenciais de plantas medicinais de S. Tomé e Príncipe. PhD Thesis, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Coimbra 2002: 80-1
• 2 Martins A P, Salgueiro L R, Vila R, Tomi F, Cañigueral S, Casanova J. et al . Essential oil composition of four Piper species from S. Tomé e Príncipe.  Phytochemistry. 1998;  49 2019-23
• 3 Martins A P, Salgueiro L R, Vila R, Tomi F, Cañigueral S, Casanova J. et al . Essential oil composition of three Ocimum species traditionally used in S. Tomé e Príncipe.  Planta Medica. 1999;  65 187-99
• 4 Martins A P, Salgueiro L R, Gonçalves M J, Vila R, Tomi F, Adzet T. et al . Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of the bark oil of Croton stellulifer, an endemic species from S. Tomé e Príncipe.  Planta Medica. 2000;  66 647-50.
• 5 Martins A P, Salgueiro L R, Gonçalves M J, Proença da Cunha A, Vila R, Cañigueral S. et al . Essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of three Zingiberaceae from S.Tomé and Príncipe.  Planta Medica. 2001;  67 580-4
• 6 Martins A P, Salgueiro L R, Cavaleiro C, Proença da Cunha A, Tomi F, Casanova J. Chemical composition of essential oil of Afrocarpus mannii, an endemic species from S.Tomé e Príncipe. J. Essent.  Oil Res.. 2001;  13 431-3
• 7 Prista L N, Alves A C, Araújo M FC. Pesquisa de alantoína em algumas plantas de S. Tomé usadas no tratamento de feridas.  Garcia de Orta. 1960;  8 327-31
• 8 Da Silva M FGF, Francisco R HP, Gray A I, Lechat J R, Waterman P G. Lanost-7-en triterpenes from stem bark of Santiria trimera .  Phytochemistry. 1990;  29 1629-32
• 9 Council of E urope. European Pharmacopoeia, 3th edn. Strasbourg; 1997: 121-2
• 10 Salgueiro L, Vila R, Tomás X, Tomi F, Cañigueral S, Casanova J. et al . Chemical polymorphism of the essential oil of Thymus carnosus from Portugal.  Phytochemistry. 1995;  38 391-6
• 11 Adams R P. Identification of Essential Oil Components by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy. Allured Publishing Corporation Carol Stream, Illinois U.S.A; 1995
• 12 Joulain D, Konig W A. The atlas of spectral data of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. E. B. Verlag Hamburg Hamburg; 1998
• 13 Cruickshank R, Duguid I P, Marmion B P, Swain R HA. Microbiologia Médica, Vol. II, 4ªed. Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian Lisboa; 1975: 393-403
• 14 Roussis V, Tsoukatou M, Chinou I B, Ortiz A. Composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils of Helichrysum rupestre and H. ambiguum growing in the Baleric Islands (Part III).  Planta Medica. 1998;  64 675-6