Composition of essential oils and secretory structures of Baccharis anomala, B-megapotamica and B. ochracea

The chemical composition of the essential oils and the anatomical structures of the aerial parts from Baccharis anomala, B. megapotamica and B. ochracea growing in Brazil were studied. The volatile constituents isolated by hydrodistillation were analyzed by gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer detector (GC-MSD) and gas chromatograph coupled to a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The botanical material was fixed, sectioned and prepared according to light and scanning microtechniques. The essential oil from B. anomala yielded 0.18% and showed alpha-acorenol (16.0%), spathulenol (13.3%) and caryophyllene oxide (12.1%) as the main components. Spathulenol (28.0% and 37.1%) and caryophyllene oxide (20.4% and 30.8%) represented the major constituents of the essential oils from B. megapotamica (yield = 0.17%) and B. ochracea (yield = 0.18%), respectively. The leaves and stems of these Baccharis species showed non-glandular trichomes and secretory ducts. Glandular trichomes were also found on the vegetative aerial parts of B. megapotamica241192

Essential oils from Baccharis species (Asteraceae) have anti-inflammatory effects for human cells

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Constituents of the essential oils from the aerial parts of Baccharis articulata (Ba), Baccharis genistelloides subsp. crispa (Bc), Baccharis dracunculifolia (Bd) and Baccharis gaudichaudiana (Bg), Asteraceae, obtained by hydrodistil-lation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS) and GC/flame ionization detector (FID) were identified. Also, their anti-inflammatory potential, focusing their immunomodulatory activity using flow cyto-metric analyses and AgNOR profiles, and anti-chemotactic properties, conducted using a Boyden's chamber system, were investigated. Fifty-eight compounds were characterized, representing 66.7% of the total components detected. The major constituents identified were spathulenol (in Ba, Bd and Bg), tau-gurjunene (in Bg) and palustrol (in Ba). The data presented herein showed that the Baccharis essential oils included in this study were inert for human resting lymphocytes, while all but Ba's inhibited significantly the proliferation of their phytohemagglutinin-stimulated counterparts. In addition, only the essential oil of Bd inhibited significantly the casein-induced human granulocyte chemotaxis. This is the first report concerning the potential diversity of anti-inflammatory activities of the essential oils of Baccharis plants on human cells responsible for the host defense mechanisms that may be of benefit in intervening with immune disorders associated or not with inflammatory conditions.246561570Brazilian GovernmentConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES