Impact of Hinoki Cypress Wood on Diversity of Microflora: A Case Study from Owase City Hall

Daisuke Tanaka,Fumito Maruyama,Masahiro Matsunaga,Daisuke Uei,Jun Matsui,Masaaki Morimoto

doi:10.3390/d13100473

Daisuke Tanaka, Fumito Maruyama + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/d13100473

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Journal: Diversity	Publication Date: Sep 28, 2021
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Toyama, Hiroshima University

Abstract

Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) shows durability against termites and wood decay-causing fungi and is used as a construction material in Japan. However, the effects of the material are still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether Hinoki cypress has antimicrobial effects against airborne microorganisms. We examined the influence of Hinoki cypress on the growth of airborne bacteria and fungi using culture-based methods. The growth of bacterial colonies was observed after day 3 in the control group without Hinoki material. In contrast, the growth of bacterial colonies was observed after day 13 in the experimental group containing Hinoki material. In the experimental group, the number of fungal colonies was smaller than that in the control group, suggesting the antifungal effect of Hinoki cypress to some extent. In addition, we characterized the community structure of airborne bacteria in two rooms with and without cypress wood by the culture-independent method of PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. This also suggested differences in the community structure of airborne bacteria depending on the presence or absence of Hinoki cypress wood. These results indicate that Hinoki cypress might be a useful functional material in building environments.

Highlights

IntroductionHinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) is a conifer tree native to central Japan [1,2]
Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) is a conifer tree native to central Japan [1,2].This species shows durability against termites and wood decay causing-fungi; it has been used since ancient times in Japan as a construction material to build temples and shrines [3,4]
Our results provide a foundation for detailed future studies of the antimicrobial effect of Hinoki cypress against airborne microorganisms

Summary

Introduction

Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) is a conifer tree native to central Japan [1,2]. This species shows durability against termites and wood decay causing-fungi; it has been used since ancient times in Japan as a construction material to build temples and shrines [3,4]. The Hinoki cypress is a familiar tree to the public because of its popularity for forest bathing in East Asian countries, including Korea, Japan, and China. Essential oil from Japanese cypress leaves and woods contain terpenes (α-cadinol, hinokitiol) and phenols, which are known to have antibacterial activity [1,7,8,9,10]

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