Constituents of the Essential Oil of Cymbopogon afronardus Stapf.

J W Mwangi; G N Thoithi; I O Kibwage; J A Zygadlo; M L Lopez; M M Oliva; M S Demo; M Toyota; J-C Chalchat

J W Mwangi Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy, University of Nairobi
G N Thoithi Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Nairobi
I O Kibwage Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Nairobi
J A Zygadlo Catedra de Quimica Organica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales. IMBIV-UNC-CONICET. Avenida Velez Sarsfield 1600, 5000 Cordoba, Argentina
M L Lopez Catedra de Quimica Organica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales. IMBIV-UNC-CONICET. Avenida Velez Sarsfield 1600, 5000 Cordoba, Argentina
M M Oliva Departamento de Microbiologia e Inmunologia, Fac. de Cs. Exactas, Fisico-Quimicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Argentina.
M S Demo Departamento de Microbiologia e Inmunologia, Fac. de Cs. Exactas, Fisico-Quimicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Argentina.
M Toyota Tokushima Bunri University, Yamashiro-Cho, Tokushima 770-8514, Japan.
J-C Chalchat Laboratoire de Chimie des Huiles Essentialles, Universite Blaise Pascal de Clermont, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie, Campus des Cezeawc, 24 Avenue des Landai, 63177 Aubiere Cedex, France

Keywords: Cymbopogon afronardus Stapf, Graminea. essential oil, GC-MS, 5-epiparadisol, intermedeol, bisabolone, antimicrobial activity.

Abstract

The pleasantly smelling light yellow essential oil isolated by hy-drodistillation from the leaves of Cymbopogon afronardus Stapf. (Graminea) (yield 0.4 0/0) was analysed by GC and GC-MS. Forty five compounds constituting about 95.9 % of the oil were identified. The major constituents were 5-epiparadisol and intermedeol (40.9 "A together), 6S:7R bisabolone (39.5 %) and 6R:7R-bisabolone (4.4 %). The essential oil of C. afronardus was significantly different from that of C. nardus (L.) Rendle. The antimicrobial activity of the oil is also reported.