Extraction, chemical characterization and biological evaluation of the essential oil of Campovassouria cruciata (Vell.) R. M. King & H. Rob.

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest, one of the most biodiverse biomes in the world, moving from the Coast to High Fields in the State of Santa Catarina (SC), is an important source of natural products, high-lighting the aromatic plants, which can provide a variety of essential oils. Campovassouria cruciata (Vell.) R. M. King & H. Rob. (Asteraceae), is a shrubby plant widely spread in Brazil and in some other South American countries. In the literature, there are few reports on the phytochemistry and biological activity of this species. Therefore, this work aims the chemical characterization of the essential oil from flowers, fresh and dried leaves of C. cruciata and the evaluation of the anti-microbial and anticholinesterase activity of the essential oils obtained. The plant material of C. cru-ciata was collected in the city of Lebon Régis, SC. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistilla-tion in a modified Clevenger apparatus and their analysis performed by infrared, GC-MS and GC-FID techniques. The chemical characterization of the oils identified 20 compounds in the fresh flowers, 33 in the fresh leaves and 23 in the dried leaves of C. cruciata. Most of these compounds were terpene: a-tujene, a-pinene, ß-pinene, germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, limonene, viridi-florol, and ß-caryophyllene. In the antibacterial assays Mycoplasma pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most susceptible microorganisms towards the essential oils tested, with MIC values ranging from 125-500 µg mL-1. Staphylococcus aureus also showed moderate susceptibility but just for the oil from fresh flowers (MIC of 125 µg mL-1). For acetylcholinesterase inhibiting ac-tivity it was significant for the essential oil from fresh flowers, and this promising effect is related to synergistic action of the various monoterpene components of the EO.