Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial and DPPH Scavenging Activity of Essential Oil of Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem from China

The chemical components of essential oil of Toona sinensis leaf blades and their petioles from China were extracted by simultaneous distillation solvent extraction (SDE) and were analyzed by GC-MS. The antimicrobial and DPPH scavenging activity of the essential oil were evaluated. The results showed that there were differences in chemical compositions and content among essential oils extracted from T. sinensis in different parts and different geographical areas in China, but the main components of essential oils were sesquiterpene and sesquiterpene oxygenated compounds, accounting for 90.1% (No. 1), 92.6% (No. 2), and 80.9% (No. 3) of the relative mass fraction, respectively. T. sinensis essential oil exhibited noticeable growth inhibitory activity against the tested microorganisms. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of different essential oils against microorganisms were different. For all essential oil samples, MIC and MBC against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were less than 25 μg•mL−1, MIC and MBC against Penicillium citrinum were 200 and 400 μg•mL−1, respectively, and MIC and MBC against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were 50 and 200 μg•mL−1, respectively. The IM50 of DPPH scavenging for T. sinensis essential oil was less than 0.3 g DPPH per g essential oil. The results indicated that T. sinensis essential oil may be a useful natural antiseptic source from forest products.