Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils from <i>Eugenia patrisii</i> Vahl, <i>E. punicifolia</i> (Kunth) DC., and <i>Myrcia tomentosa</i> (Aubl.) DC., Leaf of Family Myrtaceae

• Main Authors: Celeste de Jesus Pereira Franco, Oberdan Oliveira Ferreira, Ângelo Antônio Barbosa de Moraes, Everton Luiz Pompeu Varela, Lidiane Diniz do Nascimento, Sandro Percário, Mozaniel Santana de Oliveira, Eloisa Helena de Aguiar Andrade
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: myrtaceae; natural products; essential oils; antioxidant capacity
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/11/3292

Essential oils (EOs) were extracted from <i>Eugenia patrisii</i>, <i>E. punicifolia</i>, and <i>Myrcia tomentosa,</i> specimens A and B, using hydrodistillation. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to identify the volatile constituents present, and the antioxidant capacity of EOs was determined using diphenylpicryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. For <i>E. patrisii</i>, germacrene D (20.03%), bicyclogermacrene (11.82%), and (<i>E</i>)-caryophyllene (11.04%) were identified as the major constituents of the EOs extracted from specimen A, whereas specimen B primarily comprised γ-elemene (25.89%), germacrene B (8.11%), and (<i>E</i>)-caryophyllene (10.76%). The EOs of <i>E. punicifolia</i> specimen A contained β-Elemene (25.12%), (<i>E</i>)-caryophyllene (13.11%), and bicyclogermacrene (9.88%), while specimen B was composed of (<i>E</i>)-caryophyllene (11.47%), bicyclogermacrene (5.86%), β-pinene (5.86%), and γ-muurolene (5.55%). The specimen A of <i>M</i>. <i>tomentosa</i> was characterized by γ-elemene (12.52%), germacrene D (11.45%), and (<i>E</i>)-caryophyllene (10.22%), while specimen B contained spathulenol (40.70%), α-zingiberene (9.58%), and γ-elemene (6.89%). Additionally, the chemical composition of the EOs was qualitatively and quantitatively affected by the collection period. Furthermore, the EOs of the studied specimens, especially specimen A of <i>E. punicifolia</i>, showed a greater antioxidant activity in DPPH rather than TEAC, as represented by a significantly high inhibition percentage (408.0%).