Chemical constituents and bactericidal and fungicide potential of the essential oil of Pimenta dioica Lindl against pathogenic microorganisms

Abstract

This study evaluated the chemical profile and antimicrobial activity of essential oil (EO) of P. dioica. The EOs were extracted by hydrodistillation and chemically characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The total phenolics were quantified by the Folin Ciocalteu method. For the antimicrobial assay, the Disc Diffusion and Broth Dilution method were applied to obtain the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. The main constituent of the EO was eugenol. The EO showed bactericidal activity against E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, Salmonella sp., B. cereus, P. mirabilis, K. pneumoniae, S. sonnei, C. albicans, Fusarium sp., Penicillium sp. and Aspergilus sp. The results obtained are encouraged by the potential use of the EO studied in the control and combat of pathogenic microorganisms.