caryophyllene and nonane

The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity studies on the essential oils of Hypericum rochelii Griseb. & Schenk and Hypericum umbellatum A. Kern. have been carried out for the first time. Seventy-nine compounds were identified in the essential oil of H. rochelii with n-nonane (24.7%), β-pinene (22.4%), germacrene D (7.5%), n-undecane (6.8%) and α-pinene (5.8%) as main constituents. One hundred and twenty-six compounds were identified in H. umbellatum essential oil with germacrene D (6.1%), (E)-nerolidol (4.4%), n-nonane (4.0%), (E)-caryophyllene (3.0%) and caryophyllene oxide (3.0%) as the most abundant components. Both oils were characterized by the presence of many components which could have numerous applications in food, pharmaceutical and perfume industries. Taxa studied herein belong to the section Drosocarpium Spach, and their intrasectional placement based on the essential oil profiles was discussed. The oils were tested in a broth microdilution assay against five bacterial and two fungal strains and found to have mainly moderate antimicrobial effects.

Topics: Alkanes; Anti-Infective Agents; Bicyclic Monoterpenes; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds; Hypericum; Monoterpenes; Oils, Volatile; Plant Extracts; Polycyclic Sesquiterpenes; Sesquiterpenes; Sesquiterpenes, Germacrane