FUNGISTATIC ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS EXTRACTED FROM Peumus boldus Mol., Laureliopsis philippiana (Looser)
Schodde AND Laurelia sempervirens (Ruiz & Pav Tul. (CHILEAN MONIMIACEAE)

Magalis Bittner¹*, Milenko A. Aguilera¹, Víctor Hernández¹, Cecilia Arbert¹, José Becerra¹, and María E. Casanueva¹

ABSTRACT

Components of essential oils from the Chilean Monimiaceae, boldo (Peumus boldus Mol.), tepa (Laureliopsis philippiana (Looser) Schodde), and laurel (Laurelia sempervirens (Ruiz & Pav.) Tul.) were determined using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) and fungistatic activity of the essential oils was tested against Rhizoctonia solani Kühn (Donk), Pythium irregulare Buisman, Ceratocystis pilifera (Fr.) C. Moreau, Phragmidium violaceum (Schultz) G. Winter, and Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl. The essential oils of the Monimiaceae species shared some common components; all three had the 3-carene, α-phellandrene, and α-pinene terpenes. L. philippiana and L. sempervirens also had safrole.The main components were ascaridol in P. boldus oil, 3-carene in L. philippiana, and safrole in L. sempervirens. The essential oil from L. sempervirens showed the highest fungistatic activity with significant differences in dose as well as exposure. P. violaceum was the most sensitive strain and P. irregulare the most resistant of all the essential oils (P. boldus extract affected growth by only 19%). Therefore, essential oils from these three plants could be used to control the fungal strains studied.

Key words: Chilean native trees, chemical components, natural fungistatic activity, in vitro analysis.