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The objective of the present study was to characterize the essential oil of Myrciaria tenella (MTEO) leaves, to determine the effects of distillation time (1 to 5 h), and to evaluate its action on acute pain and inflammation both in vivo and in vitro. MTEO was obtained by hydrodistillation for 4 h and 36 compounds were detected, mainly consisting of hydrocarbon terpenes such as β-pinene (21.46%), α-pinene (19.43%), E-caryophyllene (10.89%) and aromadendrene (9.17%). A high yield of α-pinene/β-pinene-rich MTEO was obtained after only 2 h of extraction. For in vivo biological assays, MTEO was administered to male Swiss mice, showing an action against hypernociception (acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing, formalin and Von Frey models) and inhibiting carrageenan-induced paw edema. Production of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, PGE2 was reduced and production of IL-10 was increased, with no change in motor performance. MTEO also reduced cell production of NO and cytokines, in addition to inhibiting COX activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of the essential oils of Mentha arvensis and Mentha piperita and their antimicrobial activity against twelve Aeromonas spp. isolates from tambaquis (Colossoma macropomum), an important native farmed fish species in Brazil, were evaluated. The oils were characterized using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and their antimicrobial activity was evaluated through the microdilution method. The essential oils of these Mentha species mainly comprised oxygenated monoterpenes (97.1% for M. arvensis and 86.2% for M. piperita) and menthol was the major compound of these oils (86.1% for M. arvensis and 33.8% for M. piperita). It was confirmed that these oils had antimicrobial activity against 12 isolates of Aeromonas spp., with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bacterial concentration (MBC) ranging from 1,250 to 16,666.7 μg mL−1. Better antimicrobial activity was achieved by the M. arvensis essential oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the essential oils from five Brazilian Piper species (Piper aduncum, Piper callosum, Piper hispidinervum, Piper hispidum and Piper marginatum) against strains of Aeromonas hydrophila, isolated from tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), as well as their chemical composition. The oils were characterized by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and the major compounds identified were: dillapiole (80.7 %) for P. aduncum; safrole (67.0 %), methyl-eugenol (7.2 %) and β-pinene (6.6 %) for P. callosum; safrole (89.3 %) for P. hispidinervum; γ-terpinene (27.3 %), p-cymene (14.0 %) and α-terpinene (12.0 %) for P. hispidum; δ-3-carene (13.1 %), propiopiperone (8.0 %) and (E)-caryophyllene (6.8 %) for P. marginatum. The Brazilian Piper species evaluated in this study were able to inhibit the growth of the ten strains of A. hydrophila, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 234.37 to 30,000 μg mL-1. The antimicrobial activity of Piper essential oils was considered strong for P. callosum, P. hispidinervum, P. hispidum and P. marginatum, with the exception of P. aduncum that presented weak activity for all strains. This is the first record of antimicrobial activity of Piper essential oils against strains of A. hydrophila isolated from tambaqui, suggesting the potential for use in the treatment of infections caused by this bacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their pharmacological importance, the prospection of natural products from Primulaceae species has increased significantly in the past years. Among such natural products, essential oils are especially noteworthy within the family. Here, we analyzed and presented the essential oil composition from two Myrsine species, Myrsine squarrosa and M. glazioviana, for the first time. The major components in M. squarrosa essential oil were cadinol (11 %); trimethyl heptadienol (7.0 %); methyl salicylate (6.0 %); spathulenol (4.6 %); γ-octalactone (4.4 %), and tricosane (4.0 %), while the major components from M. glazioviana essential oil were hexadecanoic acid (10.7 %); α-cadinol (10.4 %); epi-α-cadinol (8.0 %); α-acorenol (4.2 %) and spathulenol (3.4 %). α-Cadinol was the major component in both species. Based on PCA, the essential oil composition was related to the location where species were collected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]