Antioxidant and antidermatophytic activities of essential oil and extracts of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Miki ex Hu

This study was undertaken to assess the antioxidant and antidermatophytic potential of the essential oil and extracts (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol) of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Miki ex Hu. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The free radical scavenging activities of the oil and ethyl acetate extract were found to be superior (IC50 = 9.1 and 14.24 mu g/ml, respectively) as compared to butylatedhydroxyanisole (BHA), (IC50 = 18.27 mu g/ml). Also the ethyl acetate extract revealed the highest phenolic contents (93.26 mg/g of dry wt) as compared to the other extracts. Further, oil (1250 mu g/disc) and extracts (1750 mu g/disc) revealed 35.33-67.66 and 18.0-53.3% antidermatophytic effect, respectively, along with their respective MIC values (62.5-500 and 250-4000 mu g/ml) against Trichophyton rubrum KCTC 6345, T. rubrum KCTC 6375, T. rubrum KCTC 6352. T. mentagrophytes KCTC 6085, T. mentagrophytes KCTC 6077, T mentagrophytes KCTC 6316, Microsporum canis KCTC 6591, M. canis KCTC 6348 and M. canis KCTC 6349. The oil also had a strong detrimental effect on spore germination as well as concentration and time-dependent kinetic inhibition of M. canis KCTC 6591. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.