Chemotype of Litsea cubeba Essential Oil and Its Bioactivity

Abstract

The essential oils from different parts of Litsea cubeba, collected from the highlands of Sarawak, were isolated and their chemical compositions analyzed. This study demonstrated significant variations in the chemical compositions and the chemical profiles of the volatiles and could provide valuable supplementary information on the geographical variations of the species. The fruit essential oil was dominated by citronellal, d-limonene and citronellol, while the leaf oil was high in eucalyptol and α-terpineol. High concentrations of citronellal and citronellol in both the root and bark oils were identified. In the stem, the oil was dominated by eucalyptol, d-limonene and α-terpineol. The activity of the oils against brine shrimp larvae, bacteria, yeast and fungi was determined. The oils were toxic against brine shrimp larvae with LC50 values ranging from 25.1 – 30.9 μL/mL. The oils also demonstrated a wide spectrum of inhibition against microorganisms with inhibition zones between 19.5 – 46.7 mm against Gram-positive bacteria and 10.5 – 90.0 mm against yeast and fungi. However, the oils were not active against Gram-negative bacteria.