Antioxidant Capacity and Larvicidal and Antifungal Activities of Essential Oils and Extracts from Piper krukoffii

• Published in: Natural product communications Vol. 6; no. 9; pp. 1361 - 1366
• Main Authors: da Silva, Joyce Kelly R., Andrade, Eloisa Helena A., Kato, Massuo J., Carreira, Léa Maria M., Guimarães, Elsie F, Maia, José Guilherme S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.09.2011
• Subjects: Animals; Antifungal Agents - chemistry; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Artemia - drug effects; beta Carotene - chemistry; Biphenyl Compounds; Insecticides - chemistry; Insecticides - pharmacology; Oils, Volatile - chemistry; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Picrates; Piper - chemistry; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Oils - chemistry; Plant Oils - pharmacology; myristicin; larvicidal and antifungal activities; antioxidant; essential oil composition; lignans; apiole
• ISSN: 1934-578X; 1555-9475
• DOI: 10.1177/1934578X1100600936

The leaves and twigs of Piper krukoffii, collected in the Carajás National Forest, north Brazil, yielded essential oils (2.0% and 0.8%), the main constituents of which were myristicin (40.3% and 26.7%), apiole (25.4% and 34.1%) and elemicin (2.8% and 3.0%). The antioxidant activities of the oils, methanol extract and its sub-fractions were evaluated. The DPPH EC50 values varied from the ethyl acetate sub-fraction (73.4 ± 3.7 μg/mL) to the methanol extract (24.9 ± 0.8 μg/mL), and the ABTS TEAC values ranged in the same order from 265.7 to 349.2 μMol TE/g. These results indicated a significant antioxidant activity for the plant. The lignans (-)-kusunokin, yatein, (-)-hinokin and cubebin were identified in the methanol extract. The hydro-methanolic sub-fraction showed a high value for total phenol content (106.5 ± 0.7 mg GAE/g), as well as 1H NMR signals for sugar moieties. Crude extracts and sub-fractions were also able to inhibit β-carotene bleaching, varying from 22.4 to 47.1%. The oils from the leaves and twigs showed strong larvicidal (21.4 and 3.6 μg/mL) and fungicide (0.5 and 0.1 μg/mL) activities.