Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of essential oils from rhizomes and aerial parts of Homalomena cochinchinensis (Araceae)

In this study, the phytochemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oils isolated from the rhizomes and the aerial parts of Homalomena cochinchinensis were analysed for the first time using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and disk diffusion method. Consequently, 36 constituents were reported from H. cochinchinensis rhizomes, including linalool (57.4%), terpinen-4-ol (10.6%), alpha-sabinene (4.2%) as major compounds. Meanwhile, 30 compounds have been identified in the essential oil of the aerial parts of H. cochinchinensis, which myrcene (41.1%), sabinene (8.2%), D-limonene (9.1%) were the main constituents. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of the essential oil from the rhizomes of the studied species could inhibit the growth of all six tested bacterial strains, including Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium whereas the essential oil from the aerial parts was proved to be able to inhibit the growth of five bacterial strains except S. enteritidis.