BIOPROSPECTION OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM Pectis brevipedunculata Sch. Bip.

CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION, TOXICITY AND LEISHMANICIDAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

Leishmaniases are considered neglected parasitic diseases of great relevance to public health due to their clinical and endemic spectrum. Chemotherapy agents used in the treatment are often associated with adverse effects of toxicity. Herbal medicines are considered candidate drugs for treatment, in the search for less toxic substances. The objective was to carry out the bioprospecting of the essential oil of Pectis brevipedunculata Sch. Beep. (OEPb), through chemical characterization and evaluation of leishmanicidal and cytotoxic potential. To this end, the oil was obtained through the hydrodistillation process, followed by chemical characterization by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), in vitro leishmanicidal tests against promastigotes of L. amazonensis, evaluation of toxicity in cells of RAW 264.7 macrophages and in an alternative in vivo model using Tenebrio molitor larvae. Through chemical analysis, it was verified that OEPb has citral as the major constituent, that is, a mixture of monoterpenes, geranial (33.9%) and neral (26.7%). In the biological investigation, OEPb showed in vitro leishmanicidal activity against L. amazonensis(IC₅₀=145.54 µg.mL^-1 after 48 h of treatment), low in vitro cytotoxicity (CC₅₀=238.69 µg.mL^-1 and IS= 1.62) and in vivo showed low suffering score of T. molitor larvae. These results demonstrate that OEPb has a leishmanicidal biological potential, strengthening the continuity of research to obtain target chemical compounds in the development of new drugs, with leishmanicidal efficiency or as an adjunct to the therapy already advocated.