Chemical composition and antidermatophytic properties of the essential oils from leaves, flowers and fruits ofCupressus lusitanica Mill. from Cameroon

Abstract

Essential oils from fresh leaves, flowers and fruits of Cupressus lusitanica Mill. were obtained by hydrodistillation. The chemical composition of these oils were analysed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The number of identified compounds varied according to the plant parts: 64 (96.6%) for the leaves before flowering, 68 (92.7%) for the leaves during flowering stage, 49 (92.9%) for flowers and 31 (97.0%) for fruits. The main components were α-pinene (64.5%) for fruits; α-pinene (15.4%), linalool (7.2%) and β-caryophyllene (9.6%) for flowers; umbellulone (18.3%), α-pinene (7.4%) and germacrene D (8.2%) for the leaves. The antidermatophytic activities of the leaf and fruit oils were evaluated using the agar dilution method and showed a dose-dependant relationship. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) were estimated at 275 µg/ml against Microsporum audouinii, Microsporum langeronii and Trichophyton rubrum for the leaf oil, while no total inhibition was observed with fruit oil. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.