Airborne antituberculosis activity of Eucalyptus citriodora essential oil

J Nat Prod. 2014 Mar 28;77(3):603-10. doi: 10.1021/np400872m. Epub 2014 Mar 18.

Abstract

The rapid emergence of multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/XDR-TB) has created a pressing public health problem, which mostly affects regions with HIV/AIDS prevalence and represents a new constraint in the already challenging disease management of tuberculosis (TB). The present work responds to the need to reduce the number of contagious MDR/XRD-TB patients, protect their immediate environment, and interrupt the rapid spread by laying the groundwork for an inhalation therapy based on anti-TB-active constituents of the essential oil (EO) of Eucalyptus citriodora. In order to address the metabolomic complexity of EO constituents and active principles in botanicals, this study applied biochemometrics, a 3-D analytical approach that involves high-resolution CCC fractionation, GC-MS analysis, bioactivity measurements, and chemometric analysis. Thus, 32 airborne anti-TB-active compounds were identified in E. citriodora EO: the monoterpenes citronellol (1), linalool (3), isopulegol (5), and α-terpineol (7) and the sesquiterpenoids spathulenol (11), β-eudesmol (23), and τ-cadinol (25). The impact of the interaction of multiple components in EOs was studied using various artificial mixtures (AMxs) of the active monoterpenes 1, 2, and 5 and the inactive eucalyptol (33). Both neat 1 and the AMx containing 1, 2, and 33 showed airborne TB inhibition of >90%, while the major E. citriodora EO component, 2, was only weakly active, at 18% inhibition.

MeSH terms

  • Acyclic Monoterpenes
  • Antitubercular Agents / chemistry
  • Antitubercular Agents / isolation & purification*
  • Antitubercular Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Cyclohexane Monoterpenes
  • Cyclohexanols / chemistry
  • Cyclohexenes / chemistry
  • Databases, Factual
  • Eucalyptol
  • Eucalyptus / chemistry*
  • Female
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Molecular Structure
  • Monoterpenes / chemistry
  • Monoterpenes / isolation & purification*
  • Monoterpenes / pharmacology*
  • Oils, Volatile / chemistry
  • Oils, Volatile / isolation & purification*
  • Oils, Volatile / pharmacology*
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry
  • Sesquiterpenes, Eudesmane
  • Tuberculosis / drug therapy
  • Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Acyclic Monoterpenes
  • Antitubercular Agents
  • Cyclohexane Monoterpenes
  • Cyclohexanols
  • Cyclohexenes
  • Monoterpenes
  • Oils, Volatile
  • Sesquiterpenes, Eudesmane
  • alpha-terpineol
  • beta-eudesmol
  • linalool
  • citronellol
  • Eucalyptol