Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oil of Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.T. Blake (Myrtaceae)

For the first time, this study aimed to determine the chemical composition and the antibacterial activity of Melaleuca quinquenervia leaf essential oils from Senegal. Ten samples of leaves from M. quinquenervia were collected on two Senegal localities. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. The oil yields ofdried leaves ranged 1.65 to 3.74%. Oilsamples were dominated by 1,8-cineole (24.6-49.3%), viridiflorol (14.9-35.7%), a-terpineol (6.3-12.7%), a-pinene (5.0-11.5%) and limonene (3.7-7.3%). The antibacterial activity was evaluated using a paper disc diffusion method. The essential oil exhibited excellent activity against S. aureus, moderate activity against E. coli and E. faecalis and no activity against P. aeruginosa.