The composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils obtained from agarwood originating from Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg induced by a biological agent of agarwood, Lasiodiplodia theobromae (F), were characterized and compared to those from wild agarwood (W) and uninoculated healthy trees (H) as positive and negative control, respectively. The chemical composition of F was investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil of F showed a similar composition to that of W, being rich in sesquiterpenes and aromatic constituents. However, the essential oil of H was abundant in alkanes. Essential oils of F and W were more potent inhibitors of L. theobromae, Fusarium oxysporum, and Candida albicans than the essential oil of H. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that the essential oil obtained from the agarwood originating from A. sinensis induced by L. theobromae had a high similarity to that of the essential oil of wild agarwood, both in chemical composition and in antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, the strategy of agarwood induced by fungi could be potentially applied in agarwood and essential oil production in Aquilaria trees.
agarwood; antifungal activity; Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg; essential oil; GC-MS; Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Pat.) Griffon. & Maubl
