Abstract
The restinga is an Atlantic Forest ecosystem characterized by tree, shrub, and herb species that are rich sources of essential oils. In this study, we aim to quantify the essential oil content and determine the chemical constituents of fresh leaves of 14 plant species in a restinga stretch in southern Brazil. Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Campomanesia reitziana, Cortaderia selloana, and Sophora tomentosa had no essential oils. Total essential oil content ranged from 0.01% (Mikania involucrata) to 1.56% (Varronia curassavica). In total, 60 chemical constituents were identified, representing between 46.2% and 96.5% of the chemical composition of the essential oils. Limonene was the common constituent in all species in which the essential oils were present. The major constituents were ar-curcumene (15.1%) and cis-chrysanthenol (14.2%) in Ambrosia elatior; benzyl benzoate (43.5%) and benzyl salicylate (23.7%) in Aniba firmula; caryophyllene oxide (35.7%) and spathulenol (10.6%) in Austroeupatorium inulaefolium; spathulenol (19.8%) and caryophyllene oxide (14.0%) in Baccharis spicata; caryophyllene oxide (16.3%) in Eugenia astringens; curzerene (30.0%), limonene (13.0%), and germacrone (11.9%) in Eugenia uniflora; caryophyllene oxide (17.1%) and ledol (11.3%) in Lantana camara; caryophyllene oxide (27.7%) and limonene (12.7%) in M. involucrata; 1,8-cineole (19.8%) in Psidium cattleianum; limonene (10.2%) in Schinus terebinthifolius, and allo-aromadendrene (15.2%) in V. curassavica. We expect that our results can assist in selecting species of potential interest for herbal, phytotherapeutic, and cosmetic products.
Highlights
The restinga is an ecosystem type that originated from Quaternary marine deposits and is part of the Atlantic Forest biome
These species are recorded in other coastal regions of the Atlantic Forest biome (Silva et al, 2021), to our knowledge, there is no information about the chemical compounds of essential oil found in these populations
The most abundant constituents in the Asteraceae species were spathulenol (19.8%), caryophyllene oxide (14.0%), α-cadinol (12.0%), and epi-α-muurolol (10.4%) in Baccharis spicata; caryophyllene oxide (35.7%) and spathulenol (10.6%) in Austroeupatorium inulaefolium; caryophyllene oxide (27.7%) and limonene (12.7%) in Mikania involucrate, and ar-curcumene (15.1%) and cis-chrysanthenol (14.2%) in Ambrosia elatior (Table 2)
Summary
The restinga is an ecosystem type that originated from Quaternary marine deposits and is part of the Atlantic Forest biome. Restingas are characterized by dunes and sandy coastal plains, with vegetation growing in open and/or inaccessible places such as lagoons, lakes, and marshes. These communities include a mosaic of plants with physiognomic and xeromorphic variations that respond to the numerous constraints imposed by nutrient-poor sandy soils, drought, salinity, solar radiation, constant winds, and high air and soil temperatures (Reinert et al, 1997). Other common families include Anacardiaceae, Boraginaceae, Lauraceae, and Verbenaceae Species of this ecosystem are characterized by adaptations to its adverse conditions. Plants use various strategies to deal with their difficult environmental conditions (Amorim & Melo Júnior, 2017) These include changes in secondary metabolism, resulting in the production of a wide variety of compounds, including essential oils
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