Croton zehntneri (Euphorbiaceae) is a native aromatic plant from Northeast region of Brazil. The monoterpenoid estragole (ESL) has been isolated by classical chromatographic methods from the essential oil (EO) of C. zehnteneri leaves and characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS, its antimicrobial and cytotoxic potentials being assessed. The analysis of the EO enabled the identification of 100% of the integrated constituents, of which yield was about 1.8%. The main components identified were: eucalyptol, estragole (84.7%) and spathulenol. The dosage of 50 μg/disk of ESL presented fairly significant zones of inhibition against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. The ESL presented toxicity against Artemia salina with LC 50 and LC 90 of 4,54 and 8,47 μg mL -1 . However, in tumor inhibition assays (human cells), there were no rewarding inhibition in any of the human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HEP-2 and NCI-H292).

Abstract:The essential oil (EO) of aerial parts of Lantana camara L., Verbenaceae, from Simões, Piaui, Northeast of Brazil, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS techniques. In total, 68 compounds were identified. The most representative compounds of the oil were mono and sesquiterpenes. The main compounds found in the oil of the leaves in different months were β-caryophyllene (10

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The Protium heptaphyllum species, also known as Almécega, produces an oily resin, used in folk medicine as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent, in healing, and as an expectorant, which is rich in pentacyclic triterpenes and essential oils. In this study, the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of Almécega's resin was analyzed by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and evaluated for chemical composition and vasorelaxant activity in rat superior mesenteric artery. The main constituents determined by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry were limonene, p-cineole, and o-cymene. In intact rings precontracted with phenylephrine (Phe 1 μM), EOPh (3–750 μg/mL) induced relaxation, and the essential oil had a concentration-dependent vasorelaxant effect, without involvement of endothelial mediators.

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