Vanida Chairgulprasert, Somporn Prasertsongskun, Supanun Junpra-ob, and Matira Sangjun

pp. 591 - 596

Abstract

Elettariopsis curtisii Baker, the culinary and medicinal herb, was investigated to elucidate its chemical constituents and determine antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The essential oil of E. curtisii was obtained by steam distillation of fresh rhizomes in a maximum yield of 0.63%. GC-MS data indicated the presence of six compounds, of which trans-2-decenal (78.03%) was the principal constituent. The essential oils and also the hexane, dichloromethane and methanol extracts from the rhizomes and leaves were assessed for antioxidant and antibacterial activities. In an evaluation of antioxidant activity, the crude dichloromethane extract of the leaves exhibited the highest scavenging effect on the DPPH radical with an EC₅₀ of 0.28±0.01 mg/mL. The leaf dichloromethane extract also had the highest total phenol concentration, (73.4±2.80 mg GA/g of extract) whereas the crude methanol extract from the rhizomes had the highest reducing power with an EC₅₀ of 2.07±0.06 mg/mL. In terms of antibacterial activity, the essential oil (distilled from either the leaves or the rhizomes) displayed the highest inhibitory activity, with the same MID value of 1 mg/disc against 5 strains of bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Sarcina sp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.