Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the leaf essential oil of Litsea mekongensis Lecomte growing wild in Lam Dong Province, Vietnam.

Litsea mekongensis Lecomte is a native species that originated in Vietnam and Laos. To date, the volatile components and antibacterial activity of the essential oils derived from L. mekongensis leaves have not yet been reported. This study aims to investigate the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of L. mekongensis leaf essential oil. The chemical constituents were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), and the antibacterial activity was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method. The GC-MS analysis showed that fifty-four volatile components were detected, of which sesquiterpene hydrocarbons accounted for almost 65% of the total, while the proportion of monoterpene hydrocarbons was 19.84%. Germacrene D (16.17%), γ-elemene (7.82%), β-phellandrene (6.76%), α-pinene (6.62%), and δ-cadinene (5.68%) were identified as major components. The essential oil exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. S. aureus was the most sensitive species, but no inhibitory activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was recorded. These findings revealed information on the chemical constituents of the essential oil prepared from L. mekongensis and its potential antibacterial activity against several pathogenic bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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