Chemical composition, antioxidant and antiprotozoal activity of Eugenia gracillima Kiaersk. leaves essential oil

Abstract

This work evaluated the volatile composition, antioxidant and antiprotozoal activities of the essential oil obtained from leaves of Eugenia gracillima Kiaersk. (EGEO) grown in Brazilian Northeast area (Araripe, Brazil). The volatile compounds of EGEO were analyzed by GC and GC–MS and its chemical composition is mainly composed of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (91.22%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (7.45%) and monoterpene (1.01%). The most abundant volatile constituents of the EGEO were germacrene D (16.10%), γ-muurolene (15.60%), bicyclogermacrene (8.53%), germacrene B (7.43%), and Δ-elemene (6.06%). The oil showed weak to moderate antioxidant activity. EGEO was highly selective to Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania infantum promastigotes with selective indexes of 73.66 and 71.41, respectively. EGEO did not inhibit Trypanosoma cruzi. These data suggest that the E. gracillima essential oil is a relevant source of lead compounds for development of anti-Leishmania drugs.

Keywords:

• Eugenia gracillima
• essential oil
• antioxidant activity
• antiprotozoal activity

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the following Brazilian agencies: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco (FACEPE) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico do Maranhão (FAPEMA). Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Maranhão;Fundación Moisés Bertoni/Laboratorios Diaz Gill.