Essential oils in aerial parts of Myrcia tomentosa: composition and variability

Abstract

Species in the Myrtaceae family are used in folk medicine to treat gastrointestinal disorders, infectious diseases and hemorrhagic conditions and are known for their essential oil contents. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to characterize the chemical composition of essential oils of the leaves, stem bark and fl owers of Myrcia tomentosa (Aubl.) DC., as well as to assess the chemical variability in the constituents of the essential oils of the leaf. Soil and foliar analyses were also performed to determine the mineral compositions. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to examine the interrelationships between the obtained data. The most abundant component in the essential oils of the fl owers was (2E,6E)-methyl farnesoate, whereas hexadecanoic acid was the most abundant essential oil component in the stem bark. The leaf essential oils showed seasonal variation in their chemical composition, with bicyclogermacrene and (2E,6E)-methyl farnesoate as the major chemical components. Forty-four constituents were identifi ed, and only nine compounds were found in all of the samples. Sesquiterpenes were mainly produced in the fl owers and leaves. The PCA showed a positive correlation between the oxygenated sesquiterpenes and the foliar nutrients Cu and P. Signifi cant statistical correlations were verifi ed between the climatic data, foliar nutrients and essential oil compositions.

Chemical composition of essential oil from Myrcia oblongata DC and potencial antimicrobial, antioxidant and acaricidal activity against Dermanyssus gallinae (Degeer, 1778)

“…This was also observed for the essential oils of Myrcia tomentosa and Myrcia myrtifolia, which showed activity against B. subtilis, S. aureus and other Gram-positive bacteria (SÁ et al, 2012;YOKOMIZO;NAKAOKA-SAKITA, 2014;SIMONETTI et al, 2016). This susceptibility of Gram-positive bacteria can be explained by the presence of a bacterial cell wall that does not restrict the penetration of toxic molecules, whereas Gramnegative bacteria have a barrier system in the outer membrane of the bacterial wall formed by phospholipids, lipopolysaccharides and proteins that are impermeable to many microorganisms (LAMBERT, 2002;MADIGAN et al, 2010).…”

“…(Myrtaceae) are used in folk medicine, especially Myrcia amazonica in which the leaves are used to treat leukemia (MORS et al, 2000), and Myrcia bracteata, used to treat rashes and cases of diarrhea (SIMÕES;SPITZER, 2004;Sá et al, 2012). However, there are few reports in the literature of the bioactivity and chemical composition of the essential oil of Myrcia oblongata DC.…”

Composição química e toxicidade frente Aedes aegypti L. e Artemia salina Leach do óleo essencial das folhas de Myrcia sylvatica (G. Mey.) DC.

“…Alguns autores sugerem que o polimorfismo químico de óleos essenciais pode estar relacionado à influência de fatores ambientais, tais como temperatura, umidade, duração e intensidade das radiações solares; fatores edáficos e variabilidade genética (Cerqueira et al, 2009;Duarte, 2012;Sá et al, 2012;Sabino et al, 2012).…”

Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Myrcia (Myrtaceae): A Review of an Aromatic and Medicinal Group of Plants

“…Sesquiterpenes are the major compounds in most of these oils, although monoterpenes were identified in a higher amount than sesquiterpenes in the essential oil of M. acuminatissima and M. bombycina [20], one of the studied specimen of M. cuprea [25], M. myrtillifolia [30] and M. ovata [17,32,33]. The major compound of the essential oil of M. obtecta flowers of was methyl salicylate [31], and the most abundant compound of the essential oil of M. tomentosa stem bark was decanoic acid [39]. …”

“…The essential oil of the leaves of M. tomentosa exhibited seasonal variation; it was observed that only nine of 44 compounds were identified in all samples, indicating a significant correlation between the climatic data, foliar nutrients and essential oil composition [39]. Cluster and Principal Component analysis indicated a high chemovariability within the essential oils of M. tomentosa [39]. The oil from M. salzmannii leaves showed qualitative and quantitative variations in the composition; only two compounds, β-caryophyllene and α-humulene, were identified in all samples [35].…”