Antibacterial Activity of the Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora and A. parviflora) Linalool-rich Oils from the Amazon

Aims: Evaluation of antibacterial activity and essential oils composition from rosewood species (Aniba rosaeodora and A. parviflora), sampled in an experimental plantation on Lower Amazon River, Brazil, were performed between July 2014 and June 2015. Rosewood species are threatened with extinction in the Brazilian Amazon.

Methodology: GC and GC-MS analyzed the oils and the in vitro antibacterial potential was determined against Escherichia coli, Klesbsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, and Streptococcus pyogenes, using the disk-diffusion and plate microdilution assays.

Results: Showed that linalool was the principal constituent of the oils, being 88.6% and 45.0% to A. rosaeodora and A. parviflora, respectively. The oils were effective against these pathogenic bacteria, with inhibition zone values ranging from 8.8±0.6 mm to 38.4±1.4 mm (MIC, 1.3 to 10.0 µL/mL) for the oil of A. rosaeodora and 9.2±0.4 mm to 15.4±0.9 mm for the oil of A. parviflora. The bactericidal effect and the intensity have been assigned to linalool and its percentage content in the oils. Assays performed with the aqueous extracts showed no activity against the same bacteria.

Conclusion: The rosewood oils could be used in pharmaceutical formulations or to prevent food spoilage to control resistant bacteria strains, individually or in combination with traditional antibiotics.