Holos (Apr 2016)

Drimys brasiliensis essential oil as a source of drimenol

  • Luciele Milani Zem,
  • Katia Christina Zuffellato-Ribas,
  • Henrique Soares Koehler,
  • Maria Izabel Radomski,
  • Cicero Deschamps

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15628/holos.2016.3192
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 0
pp. 68 – 76

Abstract

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Drimys brasiliensis Miers is a native plant species to the Atlantic Forest, commonly known as cataia, and used as a stimulant, anti-diahrreal, antipyretic, among other properties. Dried and fresh leaves of cataia were collected in autumn/2012, submitted to hydrodistillation in a Clevenger graduated apparatus over a period of 4 hours after reaching the boiling point, then essential oil was collected. In oil from green leaves, 49 compounds were identified, being 65.0% sesquiterpenes, 12.0% monoterpenes and 23.0% other substances. In oil from dry leaves, 40 compounds were identified, being 76.1% sesquiterpenes, 2.0% monoterpenes and 21.9% other compounds. The main constituents in green leaves were germacrene D (8.9%), bicyclegermacrene (5.3%), epi-alpha-cadinol (5.1%), alpha-cadinol (6.0%), and drimenol (9.3%). In dry leaves the main constituents were germacrene D (6.3%), (E)-nerodidol (5.4%), spathulenol (9.5%), epi-alpha-cadinol (5.5%), alpha-cadinol (6.7%), and drimenol (11.6%) Due to its composition, antibacterial, antimycotic, insectifuge and molluscicide activities are proven, together with the pharmacological properties that this species may present.

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