Composición química y estudios bioautográficos de actividad biológica de la especie clinopodium brownei (sw.) Kuntze

Abstract

In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oil of Clinopodium brownei (Sw.) Kuntze, Lamiaceae, was determined. This medicinal plant native to Ecuador, is traditionally used to treat colds, digestive problems, fright and as an insect repellent. The plant material was collected in the Amazon region and the essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation. In addition, the biological activity of the essential oil was evaluated through chemical, microbiological and cell viability assays. And the molecules responsible for the bioactivity were determined through bioautographic studies. There were 23 compounds identified in the essential oil, of which the most abundant were: ethyl cinnamate (21.4%), pulegone (20.76%), methyl cinnamate (16.68%), caryophyllene (8, 17%) and mentona (7.51%). Regarding the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity through the DPPH and ABTS methods, the following activity values were obtained IC50 1.7709 ± 0.26 mg/mL and IC50 0.0558 ± 0.002 mg/mL, respectively. Respect to the antimicrobial evaluation using the broth microdilution technique, it was determined that the most sensitive strains were Listeria grayi ATCC 1912, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 6380 and Candida albicansATCC 10231, whose MICs fluctuate between 0.5 and 5 mg/mL, therefore inhibitoryactivity is considered moderate. Bioautographic tests point to the phenylpropanoids: methyl cinnamate and ethyl cinnamate, as the compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity and caryophyllene as the molecule involved in the inhibition of microbial growth. The cell viability assay showed that the essential oil has a cytotoxic capacity close to 100% at a concentration of 500 ppm in peripheral blood mononuclear cellsThe tests carried out with the essential oil of C. brownei made it possible to verify the therapeutic use of the oil. Establishing different degrees of bioactivity for this plant; this may constitute a starting point for its potential application as a phytopharmaceutical.