Study of Constituents of Swietenia mahagoni Fixed Oil and Biological Activity of the Oil

Abstract

In this study, the fixed oil of Swietenia mahagoni was extracted from seeds. The oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and 24 components were identified. Major constituents were: 9-octadecenoic acid (Z)-methyl ester(52.31%), methyl stearate(19.60%), hexadecanoic acid methyl ester(13.99%),methyl 10-trans 12-cisoctadecadienoate( 5.92%), eicosanoic acid methyl ester(3.50%) . The oil was screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities . Cup plate agar diffusion bioassay was used to assess the antimicrobial activity of the oil against Gram positive ( Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus ), Gram negative bacteria ( Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeroginosa ) and one fungal species (Candida albicans). The results indicate that Swietenia mahagoni oil possess bioactive compounds having significant antimicrobial properties.