Chemical composition and biological activities of Illicium parvifolium leaf essential oil

Abstract

In this study, the chemical composition and the antibacterial and antidiabetic activities of the essential oil extracted from the leaves of Illicium parvifolium Merr. were evaluated. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first investigation of the phytochemical composition and biological activities of this species. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), resulting in the identification of 57 compounds, representing 98.95% of the total oil. The major classes of volatile constituents were monoterpene hydrocarbons (39.46%), oxygenated monoterpenes (35.60%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (16.27%), and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (7.53%). The dominant constituents were α-pinene (26.93%), eucalyptol (17.66%), linalool (11.25%), cubeban-11-ol (6.09%), and limonene (6.00%). The essential oil showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 128-256 µg/mL. It also exhibited notable α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 661.5 ± 17.6 µg/mL, whereas its inhibitory effect on α-amylase was weak, with an IC₅₀ value greater than 1000 µg/mL. Overall, these findings indicate that I. parvifolium leaf essential oil is a promising source of natural antibacterial and antidiabetic agents.

KEY WORDS: Illicium parvifolium Merr., Essential oil, Antibacterial activity, α-Glucosidase inhibitory, Vietnam

Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2026, 40(10), 2255-2264.                                                    

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v40i10.14