Chemical constituents, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Leptoderris brachyptera (Benth.) Dunn and Leptoderris micrantha Dunn essential oils

This study examined the composition of the essential oils long with corresponding antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the leaves and stems of Leptoderris brachyptera and Leptoderris micrantha. Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation method using Clevenger-type apparatus, while identification and characterization were done by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) technique. The antimicrobial property was evaluated by the agar diffusion method and antioxidant activity was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical method. Essential oils yields range from 0.4%-0.8%. GC-MS analyses revealed twenty-six and five compounds in leaves and stem of Leptoderris brachyptera representing 96.4% and 92.6% of which phytol (11.2%) and 4-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)benzeneamine (60.8%) as the most abundant components, respectively. Nineteen and thirteen volatile constituents were identified from leaves and stems of Leptoderris micrantha representing 94.3% and 94.1% with phytol (30.7%) and palmitic acid (36.4%), respectively. However, the essential oils exhibited moderate antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.