Kaempferia attapeuensis Picheans. & Koonterm Growing Wild in Vietnam: Chemical Composition of Fresh Rhizomes Essential Oil and Its In vitro Antimicrobial Activity

Kaempferia is a genus of the Zingiberaceae family containing a rich resource of essential oils (EOs) with various important biological activities. In the present study, the chemical compositions and in vitro antimicrobial activity of the EO of Kaempferia attapeuensis Picheans. & Koonterm were reported for the first time. By the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis, a number of 46 compounds were identified in K. attapeuensis rhizomes EO (accounted for 90.61 % of the total content), among which germacrone (25.80%), camphene (18.63%) and a-pinene (10.57%) were the major components. In the in vitro antimicrobial assay, K. attapeuensis rhizomes EO exhibited promising activity against the growth of three Gram-positive bacteria strains (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus), three Gram-negative bacteria strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica) and the yeast strain (Candida albicans) with their MIC values all of 32 mu g/mL. In general, the present investigation has provided the foundation for additional research on the chemical compositions and biological effects of K. attapeuensis.