Chemical composition and biological activities of Gentianella longibarbata (Gilg) Fabris essential oil from Ecuador.

In this study, the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil from leaves and flowers of collected Gentianella longibarbata (Gilg) Fabris from the highlands of Ecuador were studied. The most abundant components were aliphatic compounds, predominantly methyl ketones (35.7%), and aromatic compounds (37.6%). The major compounds included carvacryl acetate (18.5%), nonan-2-one (14.5%), undecane-2-one (13.5%), and carvacrol (11.4%). Antioxidant activity was examined using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil, evaluated by DPPH (IC50 14.01 mg/mL) and ABTS (IC50 38.87 mg/mL) assays, exhibited a strong ability in scavenging radicals. The essential oil also showed ferric reducing activity. Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was evaluated against four bacteria and a yeast. The essential oil showed very good activity against S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa, but low activity against S. enterica serovar and C. albicans. The MIC value of the essential oil varied from 0.43 μL/mL to 23.72 μL/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]