Abstract
This study investigated the chemical composition, physical proprieties, biological activity, and enantiomeric analysis of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Niphogeton dissecta (culantrillo del cerro) from Ecuador, obtained by steam distillation. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the essential oil was realized by gas chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques (GC-MS and GC-FID). Acorenone B was identified by GC-MS and NMR experiments. The enantiomeric distribution of some constituents has been assessed by enantio-GC through the use of a chiral cyclodextrin-based capillary column. We identified 41 components that accounted for 96.46% of the total analyzed, the major components were acorenone B (41.01%) and (E)-β-ocimene (29.64%). The enantiomeric ratio of (+)/(−)-β-pinene was 86.9:13.1, while the one of (+)/(−)-sabinene was 80.9:19.1. The essential oil showed a weak inhibitory activity, expressed as Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), against Enterococcus faecalis (MIC 10 mg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC 5 mg/mL). Furthermore, it inhibited butyrylcholinesterase with an IC50 value of 11.5 μg/mL. Pure acorenone B showed inhibitory activity against both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, with IC50 values of 40.8 μg/mL and 10.9 μg/mL, respectively.
Highlights
Medicinal plants have been used for a long time as sources of new pharmaceuticals due to the presence of bioactive compounds [1]
Earlier studies have shown that the maintenance of correct levels of acetylcholinesterases is directly related to different diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia [5]
The chemical composition of the essential oil was defined based on calculated linear retention indices (LRIc) and mass spectra compared with literature [18,19,20,21,22,23]
Summary
Medicinal plants have been used for a long time as sources of new pharmaceuticals due to the presence of bioactive compounds [1]. Plants are rich in structurally diverse secondary metabolites displaying a wide range of biological activities, including possible leads for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases [2,3]. Natural products have contributed greatly as sources for drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease [4]. Earlier studies have shown that the maintenance of correct levels of acetylcholinesterases is directly related to different diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia [5]. There are two distinct basic types of cholinesterases: acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The main physiological function of AChE is the splitting of acetylcholine (ACh), a mediator of cholinergic synapses, during the transduction of nerve impulses [6]
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