Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oil isolated from Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum. wood

Abstract

Abstract The chemical composition of the essential oil of Chamaecyparis formosensis wood has been examined. GC-MS data and retention indices for reference samples were used to identify 32 constituents. α-Eudesmol (18.06%), β-guaiene (8.0%), (–)-β-cadinene (7.89%), γ-costal (7.03%), α-muurolol (6.49%), 4α-hydroxy-4β-methyldihydrocostol (5.52%), σ-selinene (4.78%), santolina triene (4.60%), eremophilene (4.32%), humulene (4.11%), myrtenol (4.11%), and τ-cadinene (3.25%) were the most abundant components. Tests with the typical wood decay fungi, Laetiporus sulphureus and Trametes versicolor, proved the antifungal activity of the oil, as the growth of L. sulphureus and T. versicolor was inhibited at concentrations of 50 and 100 μg ml−1, respectively. The following characteristic volatile compounds were isolated and purified from ethyl acetate fractions: epi-cubenol, chamaecynone, myrtenol, cis-myrtanol, 12-hydroxyisointermedenol and 4α-hydroxy-4β-methyldi-hydrocostol. Chamaecynone possessed the strongest antifungal activity, with an antifungal index of 88.2% and 67.3% for L. sulphureus and T. versicolor at a dose of 50 μg ml−1, respectively.