Composition and Activity against Oral Pathogens of the Essential Oil of Melampodium divaricatum (Rich.) DC

• Published in: Chemistry & biodiversity Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 438 - 444
• Main Authors: Duarte Moreira, Raquel Regina, Zimmermann Martins, Gilmarcio, Teixeira Botelho, Vinícius, dos Santos, Luis Eduardo, Cavaleiro, Carlos, Salgueiro, Lígia, Andrade, Géssica, Gomes Martins, Carlos Henrique
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Zürich WILEY-VCH Verlag 01-03-2014; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: (E)-Caryophyllene; American Type Culture Collection; Anti-Infective Agents - chemistry; Anti-Infective Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial activity; Asteraceae - chemistry; Asteraceae - metabolism; Bicyclogermacrene; Caryophyllene; Chemical composition; Essential oils; Formulations; Germacrene; Lactobacilli; Lactobacillus casei - drug effects; Melampodium divaricatum; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Oils & fats; Oils, Volatile - chemistry; Oils, Volatile - isolation & purification; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Oral pathogens; Pathogens; Plant Components, Aerial - chemistry; Plant Components, Aerial - metabolism; Streptococcus mitis - drug effects; Streptococcus mutans - drug effects; Streptococcus sobrinus - drug effects; Synergistic effect; Antimicrobial activity; Melampodium divaricatum; Essential oils; Oral pathogens; (E)-Caryophyllene
• ISSN: 1612-1872; 1612-1880
• DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201300322

The chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Melampodium divaricatum (Rich.) DC. (Asteraceae) was characterized by GC‐FID and GC/MS analyses. (E)‐Caryophyllene (56.0%), germacrene D (12.7%), and bicyclogermacrene (9.2%) were identified as the major oil components. The antimicrobial activity of the oil against seven standard strains of oral pathogens from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) was evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) using the microdilution method. MIC Values below 100 μg/ml were obtained against Streptococcus sobrinus (90 μg/ml), Lactobacillus casei (30 μg/ml), S. mutans (20 μg/ml), and S. mitis (18 μg/ml). In contrast, the MIC values of the major oil compound (E)‐caryophyllene were higher than 400 μg/ml against all pathogens, suggesting that the activity of the oil might depend on minor oil components and/or on synergistic effects. The M. divaricatum essential oil is a promising agent to include in anticariogenic oral rinse formulations for the control of oral pathogens.