Essential Oils from Neotropical Myrtaceae: Chemical Diversity and Biological Properties

Abstract

Myrtaceae family (121 genera, 3800-5800 spp.) is one of the most important families in tropical forests. They are aromatic trees or shrubs, which frequently produce edible fruits. In the neotropics, ca. 1000 species were found. Several members of this family are used in folk medicine, mainly as an antidiarrheal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, cleanser, antirheumatic, and anti-inflammatory agent and to decrease the blood cholesterol. In addition, some fruits are eaten fresh or used to make juices, liqueurs, and sweets very much appreciated by people. The flavor composition of some fruits belonging to the Myrtaceae family has been extensively studied due to their pleasant and intense aromas. Most of the essential oils of neotropical Myrtaceae analyzed so far are characterized by predominance of sesquiterpenes, some with important biological properties. In the present work, chemical and pharmacological studies carried out on neotropical Myrtaceae species are reviewed, based on original articles published since 1980. The uses in folk medicine and chemotaxonomic importance of secondary metabolites are also briefly discussed.

Essential oil composition of Eugenia langsdorffii O. Berg.: relationships between some terpenoids and toxicity against Tetranychus urticae

“…Previous report on chemical investigations of the Eugenia species showed that essential oils are characterized by predominance of sesquiterpenes, along with monoterpenes as the minor fraction. 24 In fact, these oils were characterized by high percentages of sesquiterpenes (72.2 ± 0.9% in leaves and 92.2 ± 0.2% in fruits), followed by monoterpenes. The monoterpne a-pinene and the sesquiterpenes germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, β-caryophyllene and β-elemene, which were found in Eugenia species as principal components, [24][25][26][27][28][29] were not detected in the leaf and fruit oils of E. langsdorffii.…”

“…24 In fact, these oils were characterized by high percentages of sesquiterpenes (72.2 ± 0.9% in leaves and 92.2 ± 0.2% in fruits), followed by monoterpenes. The monoterpne a-pinene and the sesquiterpenes germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, β-caryophyllene and β-elemene, which were found in Eugenia species as principal components, [24][25][26][27][28][29] were not detected in the leaf and fruit oils of E. langsdorffii. Moreover, none of the Eugenia species listed in recent review by Stefanello et al 24 showed the presence of epi-longipinanol and 10-epi-g-eudesmol, the major components indentified in the leaf and fruit oils of E. langsdorffii, respectively.…”

“…The monoterpne a-pinene and the sesquiterpenes germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, β-caryophyllene and β-elemene, which were found in Eugenia species as principal components, [24][25][26][27][28][29] were not detected in the leaf and fruit oils of E. langsdorffii. Moreover, none of the Eugenia species listed in recent review by Stefanello et al 24 showed the presence of epi-longipinanol and 10-epi-g-eudesmol, the major components indentified in the leaf and fruit oils of E. langsdorffii, respectively. On the other hand, the second major component of fruit oil (1,10-epi-cubenol (15.6 ± 0.3%)) was identified in the leaf oil of E. neonitida 25 and Plinia trunciflora 26 in percentage lower than 0.5%.…”

Influence of spatial, edaphic and genetic factors on phenols and essential oils of Myrciaria cauliflora fruits

“…These mainly focus on Eugenia (4), Campomanesia (2) and Psidium (2) genera. 6 Unlike the M. dubia (Kunth) McVaugh fruit (Amazonian camu-camu), whose essential oils did not markedly differ from leaf oils, 10 M. cauliflora fruit (Table 1) showed higher relative abundances in γ-eudesmol (average range of 34.4-39.7%; leaf oil, 5 8-12%), total monoterpenes (11.9-16.9%; leaf oil, 2-4%) and α-eudesmol (13.5-15.4%; leaf oil, 10-13%), but lower germacrene D content (4.0-6.0%; leaf oil, 20-27%). However, nearly half of the abundances in b-eudesmol (7.8-10.5%), (E)-caryophyllene (4.4-6.1%) and bicyclogermacrene (3.1-5.6%) was observed in fruit oils in comparison to leaf ones.…”

“…3 Leaf essential oils were recently described and showed mainly sesquiterpenes, 5 a trend that has been observed in other Myrtaceae genera such as Myrcia, Eugenia and Psidium. 6 However, the major constituent in the leaf essential oil was γ-eudesmol, which is an unusual oil constituent for the Myrtaceae family. Essential oil constituents and phenolic contents from leaves showed high chemical polymorphism according to sampling sites.…”