Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils extracted from Amomum muricarpum Elmer from North Vietnam

Abstract. Recent years have seen the development of bacterial resistance to currently available antibiotics, which necessitates a search for new antimicrobial agents. Amomum muricarpum Elmer is a widely used medicinal plant species in the genus Amomum (family Zingiberaceae) that is commonly found in Laos, the Philippines, China, and Vietnam. The present article describes the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils extracted from the leaves and rhizomes of A. muricarpum from North Vietnam. The hydrodistilled essential oil was analyzed using gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, with the broth microdilution method designed to evaluate its antimicrobial efficacy. The absolute yield of essential oils amounted to 0.11% and 0.13% (v/w) for leaves and rhizomes, respectively, on a dry weight basis. It was found that the leaves and rhizomes of A. muricarpum produce oils abounding in monoterpenes. Of the total identified volatile components in the leaf oil (97.18%), three main constituents include α-pinene (40.45%), linalool (12.34%), and β-pinene (10.31%). In the rhizome oil, the main constituents include α-pinene (48.10%), β-pinene (20.32%), and linalool (7.56%) of the total identified volatile components (98.08%). An antimicrobial activity test indicates that essential oils from the leaves and rhizome of A. muricarpum inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 200 µg/ml. In addition, the rhizome essential oil also exhibits antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579, with a MIC value of 200 µg/ml. The results indicate the potential of essential oils extracted from A. muricarpum as a source of antimicrobial agents.