CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF Tagetes patula L.(ASTERACEAE)COLLECTED FROM THE VENEZUELA ANDES

摘要

The essential oil of the aerial parts of Tagetes patula L.,was analyzed by GC/MS.The oil obtained by hydrodestillation yielded 0.17 %.Thirty components were identified by comparison of their mass spectra with Wiley library data.The major constituents were piperitone(33.77 %),trans-beta-ocymene(14.83 %),terpinolene(13.87 %)and beta-caryophyllene(9.56 %).The essential oil showed strong antibacterial activity against important human pathogenic Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.