Terpenoid Concentrations and Antimicrobial Characteristics of Tree Resins in the Pinaceae Family

Abstract

The incorporation of plants into medicine is a phenomenon that spans across human history and various cultures. For example, Native Americans commonly used tree resins in a variety of medicines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of the Pinaceae family by analyzing the chemical concentrations of terpenes. Resin samples were collected from Abies balsamea, Pinus resinosa and Picea glauca , and applied to cultures of E. coli . If resin in the Pinaceae family has antimicrobial properties, the E. coli population growth should be minimal. This experiment provides inconclusive results pertaining to the antimicrobial effectiveness of resins but includes terpene contents for A. balsamea, P. resinosa and P. glauca that may prove useful for future research. Our results suggested a need to further investigate how various concentrations of monoterpenes, diterpenes and sesquiterpenes correlate with the antimicrobial characteristics of tree resins.