Abstract Leishmaniasis is an endemic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, which affects around two million people worldwide. One major drawback in the treatment of leishmaniasis is the emergence of resistance to current chemotherapeutics. Medicinal and aromatic plants constitute a major source of natural organic compounds. In this study, the leaf essential oil of Cryptocarya aschersoniana was obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus, and the chemical composition was analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. The essential oil of these species was predominantly constituted by monoterpene hydrocarbons (48.8%). Limonene (42.3%), linalool (9.7%) and nerolidol (8.6%) were the main constituents in the oil of C. aschersoniana. The in vitro activity of the oil was evaluated against the promastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis, the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans. The essential oil of C. aschersoniana showed high activity against L. amazonensis promastigote forms (IC50 = 4.46 µg/mL), however, it also demonstrated a relatively high cytotoxicity on mouse peritoneal macrophages (CC50 = 7.71 µg/mL). This is the first report of the chemical composition and the leishmanicidal and cytotoxic activities of the leaf essential oil of C. aschersoniana.

Abstract Even though essential oils from Piper aduncum (Piperaceae) have different biological activities, little is known about their application to agricultural areas. White mold is a plant disease caused by the phytopathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which needs to be controlled by alternative measures. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of essential oils from P. aduncum leaves (PL-EO) and inflorescences (PI-EO) on the mycelial growth of S. sclerotiorum. Essential oils from P. aduncum were obtained by hydrodistillation by a Clevenger-type apparatus while their chemical composition was analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Piperitone (23.4 %), myristicin (12.4 %), terpinen-4-ol (12.3 %), β-caryophyllene (7.2 %), α-humulene (6.9 %), germacrene-D (6.9 %) and dillapiol (6.3 %) were the main constituents found in oils from P. aduncum. The in vitro antifungal activity showed that PI-EO dose above 30 µL inhibited mycelial growth in 100 %, whereas PL-EO at 50 µL inhibited it in 98.74 %. This is the first report of the chemical composition of PI-EO and results suggest that the essential oils under evaluation have high potential to control the phytopathogenic fungus S. sclerotiorum.

ABSTRACT Tooth decay is a major public health problem which affects a large number of people in several countries. Even though more than 700 bacterial species have been detected in the oral cavity, Streptococcus and Lactobacillus stand out as the genera that cause tooth decay and other periodontal diseases. In this study, essential oils from Citrus aurantifolia leaves (CL-EO) and fruit peel (CP-EO) were obtained by hydrodistillation by a Clevenger-type apparatus whereas their chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Limonene (77.5 %), linalool (20.1 %), citronellal (14.5 %) and citronellol (14.2 %) were the main constituents found in the essential oils from C. aurantifolia leaves and fruit peel. Antibacterial activity of essential oils was evaluated in terms of its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values by the broth microdilution method in 96-well microplates. Both CL-EO and CP-EO displayed some activity against all oral pathogens under investigation; MIC values ranged from 20 to 200 µg/mL. CL-EO and CP-EO not only had promising activity against Streptococcus mutans (MIC = 20 µg/mL) and Lactobacillus casei (31.25 µg/mL), but also displayed antibacterial activity against all studied cariogenic bacteria. Efficacy of essential oils against S. mutans and L. casei is noteworthy and should be further investigated.

ABSTRACT Leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis are globally widespread parasitic diseases which have been responsible for high mortality rates. Since drugs available for their treatment are highly hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic and cardiotoxic, adherence to therapy has been affected. Thus, the search for new, more effective and safer drugs for the treatment of these diseases is necessary. Natural products have stood out as an alternative to searching for new bioactive molecules with therapeutic potential. In this study, the chemical composition and antiparasitic activity of the essential oil from Protium ovatum leaves against trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi and the promastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis were evaluated. The essential oil was promising against trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi (IC50= 28.55 μg.mL-1) and L. amazonensis promastigotes (IC50 = 2.28 μg.mL-1). Eighteen chemical constituents were identified by Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) in the essential oil, whose major constituents were spathulenol (17.6 %), caryophyllene oxide (16.4 %), β-caryophyllene (14.0 %) and myrcene (8.4 %). In addition, the essential oil from P. ovatum leaves had moderate cytotoxicity against LLCMK2 adherent epithelial cell at the concentration range under analysis (CC50 = 150.9 μg.mL-1). It should be highlighted that this is the first report of the chemical composition and anti-Trypanosoma cruzi and anti-Leishmania amazonensis activities of the essential oil from Protium ovatum leaves.

ABSTRACT Many essential oils (EOs) of different plant species possess interesting antimicrobial effects on buccal bacteria and antioxidant properties. Eugenia klotzschiana Berg (pêra-do-cerrado, in Portuguese) is a species of Myrtaceae with restricted distribution in the Cerrado. The essential oils were extracted through the hydrodistillation technique using a modified Clevenger apparatus (2 hours) and chemically characterized by GC-MS. The major compounds were α-copaene (10.6 %) found in oil from leaves in natura, β-bisabolene (17.4 %) in the essential oil from dry leaves and α-(E)-bergamotene (29.9 %) in oil from flowers. The antioxidant activity of essential oils showed similarities in both methods under analysis (DPPH and ABTS˙+) and the results suggested moderate to high antioxidant activity. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), using the microdilution method. MIC values below 400 µg/mL were obtained against Streptococcus salivarius (200 µg/mL), S. mutans (50 µg/mL), S. mitis (200 µg/mL) and Prevotella nigrescens (50 µg/mL). This is the first report of the chemical composition and antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the essential oils of E. klotzschiana. These results suggest that E. klotzschiana, a Brazilian plant, provide initial evidence of a new and alternative source of substances with medicinal interest.