Abstract This study determined the essential oil constituents, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Passiflora foetida (Passifloraceae). Fruit and stem of P. foetida were hydrodistilled by an all glass-Clevenger apparatus and chemical compositions of the essential oils (EOs) were characterized using the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) technique. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were examined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH*) and agar diffusion method respectively.
EOs gave good yields of 0.40% (stem) and 0.24% (fruit) (w/w). Thirteen (99.97%) and seventeen (100%) compounds with their major constituents; pentadecanal (30.11%) and oleamide (19.32%) were identified in EOs of stem and fruit respectively. The classes of compounds identified in stem oil were alkanals (48.54%), alkanols (21.43%), esters (20.30%), amide (6.65%), alkanones (1.99%) and hydrocarbons (1.06%); while fruit oil gave hydrocarbons (49.04%), amide (19.32%), alkanals (12.01%), carboxylic acids (8.10%), esters (4.94%), alcohol (3.34%) and cyclic ether (3.24%).
Fruit oil showed higher antioxidant activity than stem oil; and had higher activity than α-Tocopherol (20 – 0.0625%) for 10 and 30 min incubation periods. Stem oil exhibited strong activity against Staphylococcus aureus at 50 mg/mL. This further confirms the antimicrobial activity of P. foetida extracts, thereby justifying its use as an anti-infective in traditional medicine.
Keywords Passiflora foetida, Essential oil, Antioxidant, Staphylococcus aureus, GC/MS.