SURVEY OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS OF CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS AND CYMBOPOGON NARDUS COLLECTED IN DONG THAP PROVINCE

Abstract

Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon nardus are very popular in Vietnam and in many countries around
the world. Essential oils distilled from these two plants are commonly used in daily life with many useful
uses. In this article, the chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Cymbopogon
citratus and Cymbopogon nardus collected in Dong Thap province using many different methods were
studies. The results showed that, in terms of chemical composition, they had the same main compounds such
as α-citral, β-citral và β –myrcene, however there was a big difference in content. Both essential oils
demonstrated the ability to neutralize DPPH free radicals ((1) IC50 = 510,52 g/mL; (2) IC50 = 1518,58
g/mL), ABTS•+ ((1) IC50 = 202,43 g/mL; (2) IC50 = 312,08 g/mL) and antibacterial activity on four
bacterial strains P. aeruginosa, E. Coli, B. cereus and S. aureus when tested using the agar disk diffusion
method and minimum inhibitory concentration method (MIC).