Several species belonging to the Hyptis (Lamiaceae) genus represent an important source of bioactive constituents, which are reputed for their wide range of antimicrobial, anticancer and insecticidal activities. The volatile oils obtained from various parts of the Hyptis plants were found to be primarily composed of mono-and sesquiterpenes. Significant differences were observed in the percentage compositions of the major components, which allowed for differentiation among the species. Based on the dominant constituents, phylogenetic relationships were found to be common among some species: 1,8-cineole (H. fruticosa, H. goyazensis, H. martiusii and H. suaveolens); β-caryophyllene (H. marrubioides, H. pectinata, H. spicigera and H. suaveolens); eugenol (H. recurvata and H. suaveolens); γ-cadinene (H. glomerata and H. ovalifolia); p-cymene (H. mutabilis and H. pectinata); α-pinene (H. crenata and H. emoryi). The monoterpenes, α-pinene and p-cymene were detected at various concentrations in all the Hyptis oils investigated. This paper reviews the essential oil compositions of eighteen Hyptis plant species studied in various parts of the world covering the publications of 100 years (1909 to 2009) after the first article appeared in the literature.

Five different essential oil extractions of the aerial parts of Cleome spinosa Jacq. were examined. The oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the whole aerial parts, aerial parts without flowers (fruit, leaves and stem), flowers, fruits and leaves have been examined by GC-FID and GC-MS. The chemical profiles of the oils reveal the dominance of oxygenated sesqui-and diterpenes, with the exception of the fruit oil, which contained a high content of fatty acids. The most abundant compounds from the whole aerial parts were (Z)-phytol (31.3%), integerrimine (5.5%) and incensole (4.0%). The major compounds from the aerial portion without flowers were caryophyllene oxide (10.5%), (-)-spathulenol (7.5%) and Z-phytol (6.9%). In the flower oil, the main components were 7-α-hydroxy manool (23.8%), incensole (9.2%) and sclareol (8.7%). The chief constituents in the fruit oil were tetradecanoic acid (40.6%), (Z)-phytol (6.58%) and sclareol (4.5%). In the leaf oil, (Z)-phytol (19.5%), 7-αhydroxy manool (6.8%) and caryophyllene oxide (4.36%) were the predominant compounds. Antimicrobial activity of the oil obtained from the whole aerial part was evaluated against nine microbial strains using a filter paper disc-diffusion method. The volatile oil showed moderate action against seven of the eight bacteria strains used, with significant inhibitory activity against Streptococcus pyogenes Group A when compared with the standard antibiotics, ampicillin and gentamicin. The fungus, Candida albicans was less sensitive to the essential oil. The oils showed moderate insecticidal activity against Cylas formicarius elegantalus, but possessed no antioxidant activity as indicated by the DPPH method. This represents the first report on the chemical composition of the essential oils from C. spinosa found in Jamaica and the in vitro antioxidant, insecticidal and antimicrobial potential of the oil from the aerial parts.

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of Cleome serrata by hydrodistillation was analyzed by employing GC-FID, GC-MS and RI. Fourteen compounds comprising 90.4% of the total oil composition were characterized. The main components identified were (Z)-phytol (53.0%) and di(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) (14.7%). The oil was evaluated for its in vitro antimicrobial activities against nine pathogenic microorganisms using the filter paper disc diffusion method. Moderate antimicrobial activity was observed against five of the pathogens assayed. In addition, the essential oil was tested against the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius elegantulus. Strong knockdown insecticidal activity was observed.

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