Characterization of the antibacterial activity and the chemical components of the volatile oil of the leaves of Rubus parvifolius L.
Rubus parvifolius L. (Rp) is a medicinal herb that possesses antibacterial activity. In this study, we extracted the volatile oil from the leaves of Rp to assess its antibacterial activity and analyze its chemical composition. A uniform distribution design was used to optimize the extraction procedure, which yielded 0.36% (w/w) of light yellowish oil from the water extract of Rp leaves. We found that the extracted oil effectively inhibited the growth of a wide range of Gram positive and negative bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumanii, Bacillus cloacae, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. We further analyzed the components contained in the hydro-distillated Rp volatile oil by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Twenty nine compounds were identified, including 4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyrene (66%), 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol (10%) and 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid (2%). Our results suggest that one or multiple constituents contained in Rp volatile oil may account for its antibacterial activity.
Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
Yongqing
Y
Cai
Xiaogang
X
Hu
Mingchun
M
Huang
Fengjun
F
Sun
Bo
B
Yang
Juying
J
He
Xianfeng
X
Wang
Peiyuan
P
Xia
Jianhong
J
Chen
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D027824:Rosaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009822:Oils, Volatile