C. Perez et al., The essential oil of Senecio graveolens (Compositae): chemical compositionand antimicrobial activity tests, J ETHNOPHAR, 66(1), 1999, pp. 91-96
The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from Senecio graveol
ens (Compositae) was analyzed by GLC-MS and the components identified were:
isovaleraldehyde, alpha-pinene. alpha-phellandrene, alpha-terpinene, p-cym
ene, sabinene, gamma-terpinene, 1-melhyl-4-isopropenylbenzene, terpinolene,
terpinen-4-ol, piperitenone, alpha- and beta-eudesmol. The investigation b
y the agar-well diffusion method of the antimicrobial activity of the essen
tial oil proved that it has antibacterial effects on Micrococcus luteus ATC
C 9341, oxacillin-sensitive and oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,
as well as antifungal effects on clinically isolated Candida albicans. The
minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for M. luteus, oxacillin-sens
itive S. aureus and C. albicans were 8.73, 10.91 and 2.13 x 10(-2) mg/ml, r
espectively. The antimicrobial activity related to known antibiotics was ca
lculated. These results would be compatible with a potential concentration-
dependent selectivity of antifungal effect of S. graveolens essential oil.
Minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) is above 87.3 mg/ml. Thus the MBC/
MIC ratio would be clearly higher than 1 (above 8), indicating a bacteriost
atic effect of the essential oil. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Al
l rights reserved.