US EPA

8307578 

Journal Article 

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the volatile oil from the bark of gliricidia sepium 

Reddy, LJ; Jose, B 

2010 

1 

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ISSN: 2656-0097
EISSN: 0975-1491 

2 

3 

177-179 

English 

Nineteen compounds have been identified and quantified from the bark oil of Gliricidia sepium by GC-MS analysis. The major components are methyl-3(E)-pentenyl ether (11.55%), 3-methyl-2-butanol (10.65%), 3-methoxy hexane (10.14%), 1-(1-ethoxyethoxy)-2-hexene (9.72%), 2- decanol (8.97%), coumarin (8.07%) and hexadecanoic acid (5.16%). The antibacterial activity of the essential oil was checked against various pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, Enterobacter faecalis, Salmonella paratyphi, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens by 'agar well diffusion' method. The bark oil exhibited pronounced activity against all tested microorganisms and its activity is quite comparable with the standard antibiotics screened under similar conditions. The remarkable antibacterial activity exhibited by the bark oil can be attributed to the long chain fatty acids and alcohols present in it. This study shows that the Gliricidia sepium bark essential oil can be used as a potential external antiseptic and can be incorporated into the drug formulations. 

Agar well diffusion method; Antibacterial activity; Drug formulation; Essential oil; Gliricidia sepium; Standard antibiotics