Chemical constituents, bioactivities of the essential oil from lotus bee pollens

The essential oil from lotus bee pollens was extracted by water-steam distillation and its chemical constituents were analyzed by GC-MS. The antimicrobial activity and metal chelating ability of the essential oil were determined. Forty-four compounds, which occupied 82.74% of total constituents, were identified from the essential oil. The major constituents were pentadecane, hexadecanoic acid, caryophyllene oxide, l-caryophyllene, α-terpineol, heneicosane, and 8-heptadecene. The essential oil exhibited certain antimicrobial activity against Staphyloccocus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Proteusbacillus vulgaris and significant metal chelating ability in a concentration-dependent fashion.