Phytochemical study of medicinal smokes from Etlingera brevilabrum leaves

• Published in: Journal of herbal medicine 2018-09, Vol.13, p.52-62
• Main Authors: Mahdavi, B., Yaacob, W.A., Din, L.B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antimicrobial activity; Antioxidant activity; Etlingerabrevilabrum; Medicinal smokes; Zingiberaceae
• ISSN: 2210-8033
• DOI: 10.1016/j.hermed.2018.04.001

[Display omitted] •Application of pyrolysis technique to obtain smoke from a medicinal plant.•Identification of the chemical composition of the smoke.•Evaluation of the bioactivity of the smoke including antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The fresh and dried leaves of Etlingera brevilabrum were pyrolyzed and burned in a fluidized-bed reactor under atmospheric nitrogen and air, respectively, at different temperatures. The collected smoke from each experiment, which was condensed as a liquid, was analyzed using GC–MS. The chemical compositions of the smoke liquids were rich in phenolic compounds and carboxylic acids. Phenol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, and p-cresol were the most abundant phenolic compounds. Mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and palmitic acid were the most abundant acidic compounds. The smoke liquids exhibited acceptable antioxidant activity including radical scavenging activity (RSA) and β-carotene bleaching (BCB). In the most cases, the antioxidant activity of the smoke liquids was more than those of the positive controls of BHT and α-tocopherol. The smoke liquids were found to be very active antimicrobial liquids. They prevented the growth of 14 out of 18 tested microorganisms, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and also fungi. All the smoke liquids exhibited antifungal activities higher than that of the positive control, nystatin.