Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils of a Croton Tetradenius Baill. Germplasm

This study aimed to characterize the chemical diversity of essential oils of 37 Croton tetradenius plants grown in municipalities of the state of Sergipe, Brazil, as well as evaluate their antibacterial activities. Twenty-five compounds were identified in the essential oils of C. tetradenius, and low chemical variation was observed among the plants studied. Monoterpenes, such as alpha-pinene, alpha-terpinene, p-cymene, 1,8-cineole, trans-pinocarveol, camphor, pinocarvone, cis-ascaridole and trans-ascaridole were detected as major compounds. The Cluster Analysis revealed two different clusters. The antibacterial activity of the essential oils was tested against Bacillus cereus ATCC 4504, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 8095, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC7644, Salmonella thyphimurium ATCC 14,028, and Escherichia coli ATCC 23,226. The minimum inhibitory concentration varied from 7.81 to 125 mu L/mL for E. coli and the other species, respectively. The knowledge of the chemical diversity of the essential oil of native plants of C. tetradenius may encourage further studies on the potential use of these and other metabolites and help the adoption of strategies for the conservation of this medicinal species.