Chemical composition of essential oils from different parts of Protium heptaphyllum (Aubl.) Marchand and their in vitro antibacterial activity

Abstract

In Brazilian folk medicine, Protium heptaphyllum is used to treat inflammatory conditions and to hasten wound repair. This paper aims to investigate the chemical composition and the in vitro antibacterial effects of the essential oils (EOs) obtained from P. heptaphyllum leaves and ripe and unripe fruits against a representative panel of oral pathogens. The GC-FID and GC-MS analysis revealed that the major components determined in P. heptaphyllum essential oils were myrcene (59.0%), β-elemene (17.2%), limonene (12.9%), spathulenol (12.6%), α-cubebene (11.6%), germacrene D (10.6%), trans-nerolidol (9.8%), and α-cadinol (8.8%). The essential oils of the ripe and unripe fruits showed the strongest antibacterial activity against the anaerobic bacteria Prevotella nigrescens (MIC = 50 µg/mL). The leaf essential oil displayed very promising activity against Streptococcus mutans (MIC = 50 µg/mL) and Streptococcus mitis (MIC = 62.5 µg/mL). The antibacterial activity of EOs against oral pathogens is also described for the first time.

Keywords:

• Protium heptaphyllum
• essential oils
• cariogenic bacteria
• periodontopathic bacteria
• oral pathogens
• antibacterial activity

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank FAPEG, CNPq, IFGOIANO – Campus Rio Verde and CAPES for the financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest is reported by the authors.