Illicium

Molecules 2010, 15, 7558-7569; doi:10.3390/molecules15117558
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molecules
ISSN 1420-3049 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules Article

Antifungal Activity of the Essential Oil of Illicium verum Fruit and Its Main Component trans-Anethole
Yongfu Huang 1, Jianglin Zhao 1, Ligang Zhou 1,*, Jihua Wang 1, Youwen Gong 1, Xujun Chen 1, Zejian Guo 1, Qi Wang 1 and Weibo Jiang 2
1 2

Collegeof Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: lgzhou@cau.edu.cn; Tel.: +86 10 62731199. Received: 14 October 2010; in revised form: 20 October 2010 / Accepted: 25 October 2010 / Published: 27October 2010

Abstract: In order to identify natural products for plant disease control, the essential oil of star anise (Illicium verum Hook. f.) fruit was investigated for its antifungal activity on plant pathogenic fungi. The fruit essential oil obtained by hydro-distillation was analyzed for its chemical composition by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). trans-Anethole (89.5%), 2-(1-cyclopentenyl)-furan (0.9%) and cisanethole (0.7%) were found to be the main components among 22 identified compounds, which accounted for 94.6% of the total oil. The antifungal activity of the oil and its main component trans-anethole against plant pathogenic fungi were determined. Both the essential oil and trans-anethole exhibited strong inhibitory effect againstall test fungi indicating that most of the observed antifungal properties was due to the presence of transanethole in the oil, which could be developed as natural fungicides for plant disease control in fruit and vegetable preservation. Keywords: Illiciaceae; Illicium verum; essential oil; trans-anethole; antifungal activity, plant pathogenic fungi

Molecules 2010, 15 1. Introduction

7559Plant diseases are usually caused by plant pathogens including fungi, nematodes, bacteria, and viruses, among which fungi are the main pathogens, causing great yield losses in numerous important crops [1,2]. Over several decades, synthetic chemicals were always the chief means of preventing and controlling plant diseases, as they were effective, dependable and economic. However, abuse ofsynthetic agrochemicals has resulted in many problems, such as fungicide-resistance development of the pathogens [3], damage to the environment and human health, and ecosystem disruption [4]. So alternatives which are biodegradable, low-toxic and more effective, are in high demand. Research on natural products, which might substitute for synthetic fungicides or contribute to the development of new agentsfor plant disease control, has attracted much attention of investigators [5-10]. Plant essential oils are not only used as fragrance and flavouring agents in the food and beverages industries [11], but also may provide potential alternatives for use as plant fungal pathogenic control agents [12,13] as a large number of plant essential oils have been reported to have antifungal activities [14-18].Illicium verum Hook. f. (Illiciaceae), a medium-sized evergreen plant named star anise, is mainly distributed in the tropical and subtropical zones of Asia. The fruits are frequently used as a well known spice in the food industry, and were also used for treatment of stomach aches and sepsis in eastern Asian traditional medicine [19,20]. The main component in I. verum essential oil was identifiedas trans-anethole [21]. The previous investigations suggested that I. verum essential oil had insecticidal, antimicrobial and antioxidative properties [21-24]. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no detailed studies on the use of I. verum essential oil and its main component trans-anethole against plant pathogenic fungi, besides a few reports on the antifungal activity screening of the...