Abstract
The essential oil of Eugenia uniflora has been attributed anti-depressive, antinociceptive, antileishmanial, larvicidal, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. It is known that the cultivation of this plant can be affected by seasonality, promoting alteration in the oil composition and its biological activities. This study aims to perform the annual evaluation of the curzerene-type oil of E. uniflora and determine its antioxidant activity. The oil yield from the dry season (1.4 ± 0.6%) did not differ statistically from that of the rainy season (1.8 ± 0.8%). Curzerene, an oxygenated sesquiterpene, was the principal constituent, and its percentage showed no significant difference between the two periods: dry (42.7% ± 6.1) and rainy (40.8 ± 5.9%). Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses presented a high level of similarity between the monthly samples of the oils. Also, in the annual study, the yield and composition of the oils did not present a significant correlation with the climatic variables. The antioxidant activity of the oils showed inhibition of DPPH radicals with an average value of 55.0 ± 6.6%. The high curzerene content in the monthly oils of E. uniflora suggests their potential for use as a future phytotherapeutic alternative.
Highlights
Eugenia L. is included among the other 130 genera of Myrtaceae, and comprises about 1000 species distributed mainly in Central and South America and the African continent [1,2]
In a previously published paper, we reported that the essential oil of a curzerene-rich E. uniflora chemotype showed a significant antiproliferative and cytotoxic effect against some cancer strains [16]
Essential Oil Yield vs Environmental Conditions. Climatic parameters such as solar radiation, precipitation, and relative humidity were monitored for a period of one year (October 2017 to September 2018) to evaluate the influence of seasonality on yield and composition of E. uniflora essential oil
Summary
Eugenia L. is included among the other 130 genera of Myrtaceae, and comprises about 1000 species distributed mainly in Central and South America and the African continent [1,2]. Eugenia uniflora L. is a fruit tree which occurs naturally throughout South America, with widespread use of its fruits [7,8]. It is popularly known as “Pitanga”, a denomination originating in the Brazilian indigenous Tupi language, which means “dark red fruit”, and is called “Cereja Brasileira” or “Ginja” [9]. The plant is used by traditional communities to treat diarrhea, cough, and rheumatism, and has presented other biological properties, such as hypothermic, antinociceptive, and antimicrobial activities [10,11]. Traditional communities use an infusion of the leaves and barks as a antihypertensive and antipyretic, as well as against influenza, cough, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, sinusitis, colic, diarrhea, dysentery, fever, and rheumatism [10,11]
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