Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil isolated from the cultured mycelia of Ganoderma japonicum

ObjectiveTo explore a new natural antibiotic.MethodsThe chemical composition of the essential oil from Ganoderma japonicum (G. japonicum) mycelia was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The antimicrobial activity of the oil was evaluated against eighteen microorganisms, including bacteria, mildew and yeast by using a disc diffusion method. Furthermore, the minimum inhibitory concentrations(MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations(MBC) of the essential oil against twelve clinical pathogens were determined.ResultsThe main components of the oil were nerolidol, decadienal, linalool and benzyl alcohol. The antimicrobial results indicated that the oil inhibited all the tested bacterium, especially Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in which the antibacterial activity exhibited a MBC of 1.03 mg/ml.ConclusionThe essential oil of G. japonicum mycelium has significant inhibitory activity. It is a potential medicinal resource that can be used as a natural antibiotic.