ABSTRACT
The essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) was obtained by hydro-distillation and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sixty-two constituents were identified, representing 98.06% of the total oil content. Oxygenated monoterpenes were the predominant components. The rosemary oil was characterized as having prominent (> 5%) contents of camphor (18.9%), verbenone (11.3%), a-pinene (9.6%), beta-myrcene (8.6%), 1,8-cineole (8.0%), and beta-caryophyllene (5.1%). The antimicrobial activity of the oil as well as of its major constituents was tested against the following microorganisms: Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sobrinus, and Enterococcus faecalis, which are potentially responsible for the formation of dental caries in humans. The microdilution method was used for determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) during evaluation of the antibacterial activity. The essential oil displayed low activity against the selected microorganisms. In the present study, the pure major compounds were more active than the essential oil. Among all the microorganisms tested, the pathogen S. mitis was the most susceptible and E. faecalis was the most resistant to the evaluated samples. This is the first report on antimicrobial activity of the major components of rosemary oil against oral pathogens.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Oils, Volatile/pharmacology , Rosmarinus , Acyclic Monoterpenes , Anti-Bacterial Agents/isolation & purification , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology , Bicyclic Monoterpenes , Camphor/isolation & purification , Camphor/pharmacology , Chlorhexidine/isolation & purification , Chlorhexidine/pharmacology , Enterococcus faecalis/drug effects , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Monoterpenes/isolation & purification , Monoterpenes/pharmacology , Plant Oils/isolation & purification , Plant Oils/pharmacology , Polycyclic Sesquiterpenes , Sesquiterpenes/pharmacology , Streptococcus/drug effects , Streptococcus mitis/drug effects , Streptococcus mutans/drug effects , Streptococcus sobrinus/drug effects , Terpenes/isolation & purification , Terpenes/pharmacologyABSTRACT
In this work we describe the identification of the biologically active triterpenes and sterols present in the hexane extracts of six species of Miconia using gas chromatography. The main compounds present in these extracts are beta-amyrin, alpha-amyrin, and beta-sitosterol. The technique employed herein is shown to be a valuable and rapid tool for determining biologically active triterpenes and sterols present in non-polar extracts.
