Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil of Chrysanthemum indicum Against Oral Bacteria

ABSTRACT

The chemical components of the essential oil obtained from Chrysanthemum indicum L. were analyzed by GC-MS. Seventy-three compounds accounting for 96.65% of the extracted essential oil were identified. The main compounds in the oil were alpha-pinene (4.4%), 1,8-cineole (10.4%), alpha-thujone (6.05%), camphor (10.12%), terpinen-4-ol (3.4%), bornyl acetate (6.1%), borneol (3.6%), cis-chrysanthenol (3.4%), beta-caryophyllene (5.1%), germacrene D (10.6%), and alpha-cadinol (3.0%). The essential oil of C. indicum exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against all oral bacteria tested (MICs, 0.1 to 1.6 mg/ml; MBCs, 0.2 to 3.2 mg/ml) than their major compounds. Furthermore, the MICs/MBCs were reduced to one half ~ one sixteenth as a result of the combinations included the essential oil with ampicillin or gentamicin for all oral bacteria. A strong bactericidal effect was exerted in drug combinations. The in vitro data suggest that the essential oil of C. indicum with other antibiotics may be microbiologically beneficial and synergistic.