Composition of Essential Oil from Leaves of Byrsonima Sericea

Abstract

The genus Byrsonima belongs to the family Malpighiaceae and is made up of more than 150 species of trees, shrubs, and subshrubs, with broad distribution from Mexico to South America [1]. Approximately 90 species occur in Brazil, 35 of which are found in different areas of the northeastern region of the country, including the state of Pernambuco [2].The use of plants of this genus in northeastern Brazil is common in folk medicine for the treatment of fever, gastrointestinal problems (diarrhea and gastric ulcer), asthma, skin infections, and snake bites [3,4]. Byrsonima sericea DC., known locally as "murici," stands out among the species that occur in the state of Pernambuco with broad distribution in fragments of the Atlantic Rainforest [5].An ethanolic extract from the leaves of B. sericea collected in the state of Ceara (also in northeastern Brazil) has demonstrated gastroprotective properties, and the phytochemical analysis identified triterpenes, tannins, and flavonoids as the main classes of compounds [6]. However, the phytochemical analysis of the leaf essential oil has not yet been investigated. The present study offers the first description of the chemical composition of the essential oil from leaves of B. sericea.The essential oil obtained through conventional hydrodistillation of the fresh leaves of B. sericea exhibited a light green color, and its yield on a fresh weight basis was 0.46 r 0.10%. Forty-two compounds were identified in the essential oil, accounting for 98.58% of the total oil. The oil is basically constituted by monoterpenes (12.69%), sesquiterpenes (29.57%), and phenylpropanoids (56.24%), with apiol (56.11 r 0.71%) and eugenol (0.13 r 0.00%) the only representatives. Other constituents identified in significant amounts were E-caryophyllene (7.32 r 0.20%), trans-E-guaine (4.54 r 0.05%), and D-humulene (3.01 r 0.31%).Fresh leaves from Byrsonima sericea were collected from Cruzinha Woods in the city of Igarassu, state of Pernambuco, in March 2011 in the morning from an adult specimen (10 m in height) without flowers and fruits. The geographical coordinates of the collection site are 07q 49c25, 5cc S and 034q 58c46.6cc W. The plant was identified by botanist Henrique Costa Hermenegildo da Silva from the Federal University of Alagoas (Brazil). A voucher sample was mounted and deposited in the Vasconcelos Sobrinho Herbarium of the Rural Federal University of Pernambuco (Brazil) under number 49312. The extraction of the essential oil through conventional hydrodistillation of the fresh leaves was performed as described previously by Neves and da Camara [7].

Leaf and stem micromorphology of Byrsonima sericea DC. by light and scanning electron microscopy

“…Studies of the essential oils from the leaves of B. sericea have identified compounds such as ß-caryophyllene-with anti-inflammatory, antitumor, bactericidal, and repellent properties (Lima, Camara, & Moraes, 2015).…”