Asian Journal
Of Traditional Medicines

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the various chemical components present in the volatile oil of the cones of Cupressus torulosa and to determine its antimicrobial activity. Twenty two compounds were identified with 98.08 % by GC-MS analysis. The major compound identified was terpinene-4-ol (25.91 %). The antimicrobial activity was assayed using the oil and a 2 % cream formulation of the oil and a cup plate method by measuring the zone of inhibition of growth. The gram-positive organisms used were Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus coagulans. The gram-negative organisms used were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhii. In vitro antifungal studies were also carried out using, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, Trichoderma lignorum and Cryptococcus neoformans. The standard drugs used were penicillin (100 µg/mL), gentamycin (100 µg/mL) and griseofulvin (100 µg/mL) for gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and fungi, respectively. Both the oil and the cream formulation displayed anti-microbial activity against fungi than bacteria. This study is the first report analyzing the volatile oil of the cones of this plant.

Key words: Cupressus torulosa, volatile oil, antimicrobial, terpinene-4-ol