GC-MS STUDIES OF NEEDLES ESSENTIAL OIL OF PINUS ROXBURGHAII AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY FROM PAKISTAN

Essential oil of Pinus roxburghaii needle was analyzed by GC-MS and their antibacterial activity was studied. Nine components out of forty one were identified from their fragmentation pattern. Major component in essential oil of needles was a-pinene (29.3%), followed by caryophyllene (21.9%), 3-carene (14.2%), (10.5%), a-terpineol (4.5%), caryophyllene oxide (3.1%), borneol acetate (2.2%), a-longipinene (1.2%), P-myrecene (1.1%) and terpinyl acetate (1.0%). Antibacterial activity of essential oil of the needles indicate that this oil showed maximum activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis while no activity was observed against E.coli, Salmonella typhi and Enterobacter aerogenes. In case of antifungal activity, this oil significantly and dose dependently inhibited the growth of all the fungi tested in the present study.