Abstract
IntroductionEssential oils from plants are recognized as one of the most promising secondary metabolites for the development of cheap and safer drugs. While Erythrina caffra has been prominently used in folk medicine for the treatment of microbial infections, there is dearth of information on the pharmacological effectiveness and chemical composition of its essential oil. The study, therefore, aimed at identifying the chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oil of Erythrina caffra. MethodsIn this study, the essential oil was extracted with all-glass Clevenger. The antioxidant activities of the essential oil and antibacterial susceptibility assay by agar well diffusion techniques were assessed while GC-MS analysis was performed to identify the chemical constituents of the essential oil. ResultsThe study showed that the radical scavenging activity of the essential oil increases as the concentration of the essential oil increases. All bacterial isolates were susceptible to essential oil with the exception of Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa producing inhibition zones ranging between 22 ± 1.3 and 35 ± 2.1 mm in the susceptible isolates. The GC-MS chromatogram indicated there are 35 bioactive compounds in the essential oil and Caryophyllene oxide (53.54%), [1S-(1α,7α,8aβ)]-1,2,3,5,6,7,8,8a-octa-1 - hydro-1,8a-dimethyl-7-(1-methylethenyl)-Naphthalene (7.81%), Kauran-18-al (6.49%), 10,10-Dimethyl-2,6-dimethylenebicy clo[7.2.0]undecan-5.beta.-ol (5.83%), 10s,11s-Himachala-3(12),4-diene (4.51%), Caryophyllene (3.65%) and 1- Hexanol (3.31%) were the most prominent compounds. ConclusionExcessive production of free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) causes oxidative stress and disease. Oxidative stress resulting from imbalance between excessive generation of free radicals and inadequate antioxidant defense system has been linked to pathogenesis of many diseases. The essential oil of E. caffra stem bark extract possess antimicrobial and good antioxidant activities and its rich level of phytochemicals can be used as either dietary or complementary agents.
Highlights
Essential oils from plants are recognized as one of the most promising secondary metabolites for the development of cheap and safer drugs
Free radicals and reactive oxygen species have been shown to cause oxidative damages on biomolecules including proteins, amino acids, lipids and DNA [66] and its excessive production has been linked with several diseases [67]
Oxidative stress resulting from imbalance between excessive generation of free radicals and inadequate antioxidant defense system has been linked to pathogenesis of many diseases such as diabetes, cancer, atherosclerosis and inflammation [68, 69]
Summary
Essential oils from plants are recognized as one of the most promising secondary metabolites for the development of cheap and safer drugs. While Erythrina caffra has been prominently used in folk medicine for the treatment of microbial infections, there is dearth of information on the pharmacological effectiveness and chemical composition of its essential oil. The study, aimed at identifying the chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oil of Erythrina caffra. The essential oil of E. caffra stem bark extract possess antimicrobial and good antioxidant activities and its rich level of phytochemicals can be used as either dietary or complementary agents. Toiletries, fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industries, essential oils, their fractions and isolated aromatic chemicals are valuable ingredients. They are utilized as such or in diluted forms in therapy or by the aromatherapy sector [5]. While medicinal plants play important roles as source of antimicrobial, antioxidant and inflammatory agents [5, 6], those from plants possess constituents that have pharmacological importance in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases and infections
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