Chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oil of Varronia schomburgkii (DC.) Borhidi (Cordiaceae) from plants cultivated in French Guiana
Résumé
This study reports for the first time the chemical composition of the essential oil of Varronia schomburgkii (DC.) Borhidi cultivated in French Guiana. This essential oil was examined by a combination of GC/FID and GC-MS techniques and was further tested for antifungal activity against several Candida strains, as well as for anti-leishmanial activity against the reference strain Leishmania guyanensis. A total of 45 components accounting for 93.61% of the total GC/FID chromatogram were identified. The essential oil is dominated by sesquiterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenes among which ?-caryophyllene (46.99 ± 0.32%) is the major one. No anti-leishmania activity could be assessed, while a strong antimicrobial activity of this essential oil was evidenced in vitro against a Candida albicans strain by the definition of a MIC value of 250 ?g/mL. V. schomburgkii essential oil might hence be considered in the future for the development of natural antifungal agents.