The Essential Oil Constituents of Zornia diphylla (L.) Pers, and Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Activities of the Oil

The essential oil obtained from hydrodistillation of Zornia diphylla (L.) Pers (whole plant) was analyzed by gas chromatographic techniques. Thirty seven compounds comprising 96.3% of the oil were identified by GC-MS. Monoterpenoids predominated the oil (83.9%) and the major constituent was sabinene (43.1%) followed by terpinene 4-ol (13.2%). The oil was screened for antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities. Sabinene was tested for its anti-microbial property. The essential oil showed significant in vitro antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, one of the causative organisms of food poisoning. Sabinene exhibited promising anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities. The essential oil showed anti-inflammatory activity against carageennan-induced paw edema in rats. The oil (50 µg/mL) was devoid of any significant in vitro cytotoxicity to thymocytes, macrophages and Dalton’s lympohoma ascitis cells. This is the first report on the essential oil constituents of Zornia diphylla (L.) Pers.