Essential oil of Dittrichia viscosa ssp. viscosa: analysis by 13C-NMR and antimicrobial activity

Abstract

The essential oil of Dittrichia viscosa ssp. viscosa from Corsica was investigated by GC and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. First, the sample was submitted to an acido-basic partition and the neutral part was repeatedly chromatographed. The analysis of all the fractions led to the identification of 71 components. The main constituents were fokienol (21.1%), (E)-nerolidol (8.6%) and eudesm-6-en-4alpha-ol (6.2%). The antimicrobial activity of the neutral and acidic fractions were investigated. While the neutral part appeared to be inactive, the acidic part was active against all the tested microorganisms. The highest activity was obtained against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus foecalis and Proteus vulgaris. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.