Abstract
The aerial parts of Tetrataenium nephrophyllum were collected at the flowering stage, hydrodistilled, and the essential oil was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Forty components accounting for 97.9% of the total oil were identified. Germacrene D (38.5%), 2-ethylhexyl acetate (11.2%), n-octyl 2-methylbutanoate (9.2%) and geranyl isovalerate (8.3%) were the major constituents. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (51.3%) and aliphatic esters (40.4%) were found to be the main group of compounds. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of T. nephrophyllum was determined against seven Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae), as well as three fungi (Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger). The bioassay showed that the oil exhibited moderate to high antimicrobial activity.