Chemical composition and antifungal properties of the essential oil and various extracts of Mikania scandens (L.) Willd

This study was undertaken to assess the antifungal potential of the essential oil and various extracts of Mikania scandens (L.) Willd. The hydrodistilled leaf essential oil of M. scandens was analysed by GC-MS. Twenty-four compounds representing 97.45% of the total leaves oil were identified, of which β-caryophyllene (16.98%), δ-cadinene (12.22%), α-cubebene (11.33%), 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid (10.17%), caryophyllene oxide (7.74%), β-himachalene (4.68%), T-cadinol (3.98%), tetratetracontane (3.83%), 1H-cyclopropa[a]naphthalene (3.56%), β-farnesene (3.08%) etc. were the major compounds. The essential oil and extracts (chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol) of M. scandens were tested for antifungal activity, which was determined by disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination methods. The essential oil and various extracts displayed a great potential of antifungal activity as a mycelial growth inhibition against the tested phytopathogenic fungi such as Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 (IB) KACC 40111, R. solani AG-2-2 (IV) KACC 40132, Pythium graminicola KACC 40155, Tricoderma harzianum KACC 40791 and Fusarium oxysporum KACC 40052, in the range of 40.0-75.4% and the minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 125 to 500 μg/ml. The present results demonstrated that M. scandens mediated oil and extracts could be potential sources of natural fungicides to protect crops from fungal diseases.