CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Schinus areira L., molle or aguaribay is a native tree from South America and widely distributed in northwestern Argentina; leaves of this plant have been used in traditional medicine as antibacterial, topic disinfectant, digestive, stimulant, astringent and diuretic. In order to improve the knowledge on phenolic composition as well as the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of S. areira leaves, hidroethanolic extracts of three specimens (Tg2, Py1 y Tce6) collected from Jujuy (Argentine) were investigated. HPLC analysis allowed the identification of 14 phenolic compounds ranged from 40865 to 72167 mg/kg; a similar profile was observed with high quantitative differences in these specimens. Flavonoids found in higher amounts were quercetin and kaempferol derivatives; on the other hand, caffeoylquinic acids were the main phenolic acids. Based on results, three different chemical profiles were defined. Additionally, the tested extracts displayed a concentration-dependent antioxidant activity against DPPH?, NO? and O2?? radicals, with EC50 range from 24 to 44 µg/mL for DPPH?; the known antioxidant compound Trolox assayed exhibited an EC50 = 36 µg/mL. Samples with greater amount of total phenolic contents or higher concentration of quercetin derivatives showed the best antioxidant performance. In addition, leaf extracts displayed antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 with MIC around 400 µg/mL. This work points out that the hidroethanolic extracts of S. areira leaves may be interesting as food additives. They can be a suitable source of bioactive compounds for natural replacements of synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobial in food applications.