Essential oil composition and antichemotactic activity of Stenachaenium Benth. species native to South Brazil

Chemical composition of essential oils from four Stenachaenium species from South Brazil were established by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The major compounds identified in the oil of S. megapotamicum were a coumarin derivative, 2H-1-benzopyran-2-one,7-(3-methylbutoxy) (24.0%), β-bisabolene (12.8%) and thymol methyl ether (7.1%). The oil of S. adenanthum contained mainly pogostol (14.0%). S. riedelli oil showed significant presence of aliphatic compounds, with predominance of hexadecanoic acid in all samples (leaves, inflorescence and leaves collected during of inflorescence period). Hexadecanoic acid (23.8%) was also the main component in S. macrocephalum. Concerning antichemotactic activity, all the oil samples tested showed a significant leukocyte migration inhibition compared to chemotactic stimulant (lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli - LPS), at concentrations of 1 to 5 μg/mL, except for S. adenanthum. These results suggest that the essential oils of some Stenachaenium species could inhibit acute inflammatory process, because the migration of neutrophils occurs mainly in the early inflammatory process

The use of Brazilian vegetable oils in nanoemulsions: an update on preparation and biological applications

ABSTRACT Vegetable oils present important pharmacological properties, which gained ground in the pharmaceutical field. Its encapsulation in nanoemulsions is considered a promising strategy to facilitate the applicability of these natural compounds and to potentiate the actions. These formulations offer several advantages for topical and systemic delivery of cosmetic and pharmaceutical agents including controlled droplet size, protection of the vegetable oil to photo, thermal and volatilization instability and ability to dissolve and stabilize lipophilic drugs. For these reasons, the aim of this review is to report on some characteristics, preparation methods, applications and especially analyze recent research available in the literature concerning the use of vegetable oils with therapeutic characteristics as lipid core in nanoemulsions, specially from Brazilian flora, such as babassu (Orbignya oleifera), aroeira (Schinus molle L.), andiroba (Carapa guaianiensis), casca-de-anta (Drimys brasiliensis Miers), sucupira (Pterodon emarginatus Vogel) and carqueja doce (Stenachaenium megapotamicum) oils

Influence of Monoterpenes in Biological Activities of <i>Nectandra megapotamica</i> (Spreng.) Mez Essential Oils

Investigating the influence of seasonal variations on biological activities is important for pharmacological studies and metabolic engineering. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the variation of the chemical composition of essential oils obtained from Nectandra megapotamica leaves, collected at different stages of plant development, as well as its influence on the biological activities. A total of 38 compounds were identified that accounted for 97&#8211;99.2% of the chemical composition of the oils. Major differences were observed in the monoterpenic fraction, representing 5.1% of the compounds identified in the productive rest phase to 37.1% in the blooming phase. Bicyclogermacrene and germacrene D were the predominant compounds identified in the oil of all collections. Furthermore, limonene, &#946;-pinene, and spathulenol were identified predominantly in the samples of blooming and fruiting phases. The oils exhibited significant antichemotactic activity and different effects in scavenging the radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. Variations were also observed in the antifungal activity, with the minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 125 to 500 &#956;g/mL. These results demonstrate the influence of monoterpenes, primarily limonene, &#945;-pinene, and &#946;-pinene, on the bioactivities of the oil. Studies investigating the variations in the chemical composition of essential oil may offer a strategy to produce a compound or a group of compounds of interest to industries with a specific pharmacological focus