Lindera Essential Oils from Vietnam: Antimicrobial Activity and Constituents of the Leaf of Lindera chunii Merr. (Lauraceae) Essential Oils and Chemotaxonomy

Lindera chunii Merr. is an important member of the Lauraceae family of plants which are known for their medicinal values. In this research article, the chemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from the leaves of L. chunii grown in Vietnam were reported. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation of the leaves of L. chunii while the constituents were determined by using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass (GC/MS) spectrometry methods. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using a microdilution broth susceptibility assay. The constituents occurring in higher amounts in the leaf essential oil of L. chunii were mainly the monoterpene hydrocarbons comprising terpinolene (13.0%), α-pinene (8.0%), β-pinene (7.6%), camphene (7.3%), β-phellandrene (7.1%) and myrcene (5.0%). The leaf essential oil of L. chunii inhibited the growth of Enterococcus faecalis ATCC29212, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923 and Salmonella enterica ATCC13076, each with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 64.0 μg/mL. The corresponding median lethal concentration (IC50) values were 19.45 μg/mL, 20.45 μg/mL and 18.78 μg/mL, respectively. The essential oil also displayed anti-candidal activity towards Candida albicans ATCC10231 with MIC value of 64.0 μg/mL, and IC50 value of 23.12 μg/mL. The antimicrobial activity of L. chunii essential oil was reported for the first time as a confirmation of the traditional uses of the plant in the treatment of microbial infections. Furthermore, the paper discusses the chemotaxonomy of Lindera oil samples.