Abstract

As part of a project devoted to the phytochemical study of Ecuadorian biodiversity, new essential oils are systematically distilled and analysed. In the present work, Jungia rugosa Less (Asteraceae) has been selected and some wild specimens collected to investigate the volatile fraction. The essential oil, obtained from fresh leaves, was analysed for the first time in the present study. The chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography, coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for qualitative analysis, and to flame ionization detector (GC-FID) for quantitation. The calculation of relative response factors (RRF), based on combustion enthalpy, was carried out for each quantified component. Fifty-six compounds were identified and quantified in a 5% phenyl-polydimethylsiloxane non-polar column and 53 compounds in a polyethylene glycol polar column, including four undetermined compounds. The main feature of this essential oil was the exclusive sesquiterpenes content, both hydrocarbons (74.7% and 80.4%) and oxygenated (8.3% and 9.6%). Major constituents were: γ-curcumene (47.1% and 49.7%) and β-sesquiphellandrene (17.0% and 17.9%), together with two abundant undetermined oxygenated sesquiterpenes, whose abundance was 6.7–7.2% and 4.7–3.3%, respectively. In addition, the essential oil was submitted to enantioselective evaluation in two β-cyclodextrin-based enantioselective columns, determining the enantiomeric purity of a minor component (1S,2R,6R,7R,8R)-(+)-α-copaene. Finally, the AChE inhibition activity of the EO was evaluated in vitro. In conclusion, this volatile fraction is suitable for further investigation, according to two main lines: (a) the purification and structure elucidation of the major undetermined compounds, (b) a bio-guided fractionation, intended to investigate the presence of new sesquiterpene AChE inhibitors among the minor components.

Highlights

  • Ecuador, due to multiple combinations of factors, has been configured as a megadiverse country, with a high rate of plant endemism per surface area, which makes it one of the richest countries in biodiversity and endemism of the world [1,2]

  • The essential oil of the fresh aerial parts of Jungia rugosa was obtained by steam distillation for 4 h, yielding an average of 0.09 (w/w)

  • Two physical properties were determined: relative density (d = 0.898 ± 0.012 g/mL) and refractive index (η = 1.505 ± 0.002). These properties are notoriously determined by genetic characteristics, geographical location, and phenological stage of the plant [24]

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Summary

Introduction

Due to multiple combinations of factors, has been configured as a megadiverse country, with a high rate of plant endemism per surface area, which makes it one of the richest countries in biodiversity and endemism of the world [1,2]. Indigenous cultures possess a strong tradition about plants as a means of treating diseases, which has allowed ancestral knowledge to be transferred through generations from ancient times to the present, promoting the abundant use of medicinal plants. For all these reasons, Ecuador is an invaluable source of natural products and unprecedented knowledge about plant applications. The number of highimpact scientific studies in this area is relatively low, given the potential that the country’s biodiversity offers [5] In this respect, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the essential oil (EO), distilled from the leaves of Jungia rugosa Less, has never been described

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