Chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the extracts of the flowers of the Chinese plant Chimonanthus praecox.

This study investigated the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the extracts of the flowers, essential oil (EO) and semi-volatile fractions (SVF) of Chimonanthus praecox. The chemical composition of the EO was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) which revealed that the EO contained elemene, muurolene, caryophyllene, cadinol and spathulenol. The effective antibacterial activity of the EO suggested that its different responses on the microorganisms studied depended on the synergistic effects of the compounds contained in the EO. The effective antioxidant activity of the EO showed that the EO had a more marked antioxidant effect on scavenging O2(-)· and OH· than DPPH·, and SVF had a higher potential for scavenging DPPH· than the EO. Our data suggested that the flowers of Chimonanthus praecox had pharmaceutical benefits, and are also a potential source of natural antioxidants and biocides.