Achyrocline flaccida essential oil from Brazil: phytochemical composition, genotoxicity, protective effects on Caenorhabditis elegans, and antimycobacterial activity

Abstract

Achyrocline flaccida (Weinm) DC. essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation of wild flowers from southern Brazil. We explored, for the first time, the phytochemical composition, toxicity, resistance to oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans, and antimycobacterial activities of A. flaccida essential oil. Twenty-four compounds were identified by GC-FID-MS and the major constituents identified were α-pinene (41.10%) and caryophyllene (30.52%). The essential oil showed no signs of genotoxicity in the comet assay and presented relevant antioxidant capacity since it prevented ROS production in the C. elegans model. Furthermore, the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) results showed that M. abscessus, M. massiliense, and M. fortuitum had their growth inhibited by A. flaccida essential oil. Therefore, the essential oil of this plant is a promising alternative in the search for new compounds capable of decreasing oxidative stress and treating mycobacteriosis.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Mycobacteriosis
• α-pinene
• Mycobacterium abscessus
• toxicity
• MIC

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the Brazilian financial support (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, and Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa no Rio Grande do Sul).