Lipid and Essential Oil Profiles of Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth. ex. Walp. Leaves and Flowers with Antifungal Effects Against Fluconazole-Resistant Candida albicans

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr El-Aini, Cairo 11562, Egypt

2 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University

3 Department of Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt.

4 National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

5 Pharmacology department, medical division, national research centre

6 department of pharmacognosy, faculty of pharmacy, Cairo university

Abstract

The study analyzed the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils and lipids from Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth. ex. Walp. leaves and flowers. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS) revealed high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, with arachidonic acid being the most abundant in both leaves (39.56%) and flowers (83.66%). The leaves had high hydrocarbons, including betulin (29.23%), while the flowers contained a mix of hydrocarbons and sterols/triterpenoids, with betulin (44.39%) as the main compound. The GC-MS analysis of Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth. ex. Walp. essential oils found eucalyptol (24.09%) and d-limonene (18.05%) as the main components in the flowers, while coumarin (33.52%) and estragole (15.48%) were the chief components in the leaves. Essential oils from leaves and flowers were mostly inactive against several bacteria and fungi, but the leaves' essential oil showed antifungal activity against fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans and weak activity against Salmonella typhi. The antifungal effect of the leaves' essential oil is likely due to coumarin, estragole, and betulin

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