Abstract
The goals of the study were to determinethe antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oil and plant extracts aqueous and ethanolic of Psidium cattleianum Sabine; the chemical composition of the essential oil of P. cattleianum; and the phytochemical screening of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the same plant. Regarding the antimicrobial activity, the ethanolic extract exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity with respect to bacteria K. pneumoniae and S. epidermidis, whereas, regarding other microorganisms, it showed activity considered weak. The aqueous extract and the essential oil showed activity considered weak, although they inhibited the growth of microorganisms. About the antioxidant potential, the ethanolic and aqueous extracts exhibited a scavenging index exceeding 90%, while the essential oil didn´t show significant antioxidant activity. Regarding the phytochemical composition, the largest class of volatile compounds identified in the essential oil of P. cattleianum included the following terpenic hydrocarbons: α-copaene (22%); eucalyptol (15%), δ-cadinene (9.63%) and α-selinene (6.5%). The phytochemical screening of extracts showed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids for aqueous and ethanolic extracts. The extracts and essential oils inhibit the growth of microrganisms and plant extracts showed significant antioxidant activity. Also, the phytochemical characterization of the essential oil showed the presence of compounds interest commercial, as well as extracts showed the presence of important classes and compounds with biological activities.
Highlights
The search for natural origin products with pharmacological properties has significantly contributed to the discovery of new substances that have important uses (Viegas Junior et al, 2006)
The inadequate and indiscriminate use of synthetic antimicrobials is leading to the selection of multi-resistant strains, the antimicrobial potential of plant extracts and essential oils are intended to delay this process through the emergence of new antimicrobial substances (Weber et al, 2014)
In addition to the antimicrobial potential, the fact that some synthetic antioxidants widely used in the food industry can lead to the development of tumor cells has led to increase the demand for similar products of natural origin, among which essential oils and plant extracts that have phenolic compounds in their composition stand out for their important antioxidant activity (Sacchetti et al, 2005)
Summary
The search for natural origin products with pharmacological properties has significantly contributed to the discovery of new substances that have important uses (Viegas Junior et al, 2006). In this sense, Brazil stands out as a potential source of these natural products for having the largest plant biodiversity on the planet and because most of its plants are unexplored relative to their pharmacological potential (Pinto et al, 2002). In addition to the antimicrobial potential, the fact that some synthetic antioxidants widely used in the food industry can lead to the development of tumor cells has led to increase the demand for similar products of natural origin, among which essential oils and plant extracts that have phenolic compounds in their composition stand out for their important antioxidant activity (Sacchetti et al, 2005).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
