Litsea cubeba essential oil: chemical profile, antioxidant activity, cytotoxicity, effect against Fusarium verticillioides and fumonisins production

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the chemical profile of Litsea cubeba essential oil, carry out an in vitro evaluation of its antioxidant potential and its cytotoxicity, as well as its antifungal and antimicotoxigenic activities against Fusarium verticillioides. Most of the compounds observed in the EO were neral (32.75%) and geranial (37.67%). The radical scavenging capacity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid was 104.4 and 56.4 mmol Trolox mg⁻¹, respectively, indicating good antioxidant activity. The EO studied by us revealed cytotoxic effect against HT-29 and HeLa cancer cells. The Minimum Inhibitory and Minimum Fungicidal Concentrations against F. verticillioides were both 125 µg mL⁻¹. Morphological investigation, performed by fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, showed that hyphae and microconidia structures underwent changes after treatment with the EO. Analyses performed with the EO strongly reduced the mycelial development of F. verticillioides and the synthesis of fumonisins B₁ and B₂ in dose-dependence effect compared (P < 0.01) with the fungal control (10⁵ conidia mL⁻¹) and positive control (fludioxonil + metalaxyl-M). Thus, the results obtained in vitro suggest that L. cubeba EO has excellent antioxidant, fungicidal, and antimycotoxigenic effects.

Keywords:

• Litsea cubeba
• essential oil
• biological activities
• biofungicide
• environmental science

Acknowledgments

This paper is part of the doctoral dissertation research conducted by the first author.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel - Brazil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001, as well as the Complex of Central Research Support (Complexo de Centrais de Apoio à Pesquisa - Comcap) from the State University of Maringá.