Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Vitex agnus-castus L. fruits and leaves essential oils

The following study deals with the chemical composition, antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Vitex agnus-castus L and their main constituents in vitro and in vivo. The main compounds in the oil of unripe fruits were sabinene (17.8%) and 1,8-cineole (17.5%), while in the oil of the ripe fruits dominant compounds were 1,8-cineole (16.3%) and sabinene (13.4%). The leaves oil contained an abundance of 1,8-cineole (22.0%), as well. All of the oils tested were rich sources of alpha-pinene (12.2%, 9.4% and 9.4%, respectively). Antimicrobial activity was tested using bacterial and fungal strains by the microdilution method. Using the same technique 1,8-cineole and alpha-pinene showed very high antimicrobial potency as well. As 1,8-cineole was the predominant constituent of the oils, we have chosen to test it further in an in vivo experiment. Randomly chosen apples were treated with 1,8-cineol solution and infected with Aspergillus niger in order to provoke Aspergillus rot in apples. Disease incidence was recorded. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Ministry of Science and Technological Development of Serbia [173032, 173024