Composition and antifungal activity of the essential oils of Caryocar brasiliensis

Abstract

The seed and leaf essential oils of Caryocar brasiliensis were analysed by GC/MS. The major constituent of the seed oil was ethyl hexanoate, while the leaf oil contained octacosane, heptadecane and hexadecanol. The pattern of geographic variation indicated that essential oils are mainly produced in lower rainfall periods and with plants grown at higher lati tudes. The seed essential oil was investigated against human pathogenic systemic and opportunistic fungi using the agar dilution method. Based on the MIC values, the most signif icant results were obtained against Cryptococcus neoformans and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. It was observed that the yeast-form of P. brasiliensis was inhibited at a concentration of 500mg/ml, whereas 24% of C. neoformans strains exhib ited inhibition with MIC £ 250mg/ml.