CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF LEAF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM Piper malacophyllum (C. Presl.) C. DC.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF LEAF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM Piper malacophyllum (C. Presl.) C. DC. This work reports the chemical composition as well as the antibacterial, antifungal and antiparasitic activities of the leaf essential oil from Piper malacophyllum. The oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID, GC-MS and polarimetry. Among the 28 compounds identified, (+)-camphor was the major constituent. The essential oil showed activity against most of the microorganisms tested, especially antifungal action, with a MIC of 500 mu g mL(-1) against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Cryptocaccus neoformans. This is the first study reporting the composition and biological properties of leaf essential oil from P. malacophyllum.