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Six essential oils (EOs), Juniperus phoenicea (leaves and berries), Thymus capitatus, Lauris nobilis, Melaleuca armillaris, and Eucalyptus gracilis, were screened for their antioxidant and antihypertensive activity as well as their chemical compositions. We identified and quantified 24 compounds (representing 99.8% of total oil) for J. phoenicea leaves, 14 compounds (representing 98.8% of total oil) for J. phoenicea berries, 11 compounds (representing 99.6% of total oil) for T. capitatus, 32 compounds (representing 98.9% of total oil) for L. nobilis, 32 compounds (representing 98.7% of total oil) for M. armillaris, and 26 compounds (representing 99.3% of total oil) for E. gracilis. In the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the antioxidant activity was in the range of 0.59 to 2183.6 mg/L, whereas T. capitatus (1.24 ± 0.05 mg/L) gave the best activity in the 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate assay. Antihypertensive activity was evaluated by testing the vasorelaxing capacity of EOs on rat aorta precontracted by phenylephrine (10(-6) M). T. capitatus and L. nobilis were most active for an antihypertensive activity (29 ± 3 and 59 ± 2 mg/L, respectively). Correlations between chemical composition or antioxidant activity and/or antihypertensive activity were studied. Significant correlation has been found for antihypertensive activity and p-cymene (R(2) = 0.86), β-elemene (R(2) = 0.90), and β-myrcene (R(2) = 0.76). A good correlation has been found between antihypertensive activity and antioxidant activity by DPPH assay (R(2) = 0.98). Antioxidant activity can contribute to the prevention of the increase of the blood pressure. According to the literature, no study has been reported until now of correlation between antihypertensive activity and antioxidant activity. Natural EOs can find its interest and application in a medicinal area.

Spirospermum penduliflorum Thouars (Menispermaceae) is widely used on the eastern coast of Madagascar to treat hypertension. The aim of the present study was to analyse the vasorelaxant properties of different leaf extracts. The activity of the n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanolic extracts was tested on phenylephrine-contracted aorta. The dichloromethane extract was shown to be the most effective. Further fractionation of this extract led to the isolation of an active fraction relaxing phenylephrine-contracted aorta with an IC50 of 0.18 μg/mL {log IC50 (μg/mL) −0.74 ± 0.03} but was much less effective on KCl induced contractions. Bioassay-guided fractionation of this fraction led to the isolation of two aporphinoid alkaloids, neolitsine and dicentrine, which at concentrations of 0.1 μM and 1 μM displaced to the right the phenylephrine concentration-contraction curve. Our results show that Spirospermum penduliflorum extracts possess vasorelaxant activity in vitro that could be related to the presence of dicentrine in the extracts having an α1 antagonist activity. This finding is not in accord with the previous studies by Rasoanaivo et al where no alkaloids were detected in the leaves of Spirospermum penduliflorum.

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