TRYPANOCIDAL ACTIVITY OF AMBROSIA TENUIFOLIA AND AMBROSIA SCABRA ESSENTIAL OILS

SULSEN V,; FRANK FM; CAZORLA SI,; DI LEO LIRA P.; REDKO F,; ANESINI C; BANDONI, A.; MARTINO V.; MUSCHIETTI L,

Fortaleza – Ceara, Brasil.

Simposio; IV Simposio Brasileiro de Oleos Esenciáis.; 2007

Socidade Brasileira de Oeos Esenciáis

The trypanocidal activity of the essential oils from Ambrosia tenuifolia Sprengel and A. scabra Hook et Arn. (Asteraceae) were investigated. For this purpose the aerial parts of each species, were air-dried and hydrodistilled in a Clevenger type apparatus for 5 h. The resulting volatiles (0.4% and 0.2% v/w of dried material for A. tenuifolia and A. scabra respectively) were tested against Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes using the 3H-thymidine uptake technique. In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated on lymphoid cell suspensions. IC50 values for A. tenuifolia and A. scabra essential oils on T. cruzi epimastigotes were 59.71µg/ml and 304.41µg/ml respectively. A. tenuifolia essential oil was the most active and the concentration required for 50 % cytotoxicity (CC50) was about 2 times higher than the required to affect the epimastigotes growth. The chemical composition was analyzed by GC-FID-MS on a Perkin Elmer Clarus 500, connected by a flow splitter to two capillary columns: a) polyethyleneglycol PM ca. 20.000 and b) 5% phenyl-95% methyl silicone. Identification of the components was performed from the retention indices (relative to C8-C20 n-alkanes) in both columns, compared with those of reference compounds and by comparison of mass spectra using the usual libraries (Adams, Nist, Wiley) and with data stored in a library built up from authentic standards. Chemical differences in the chemical profile were observed in both essential oils. Meanwhile the major constituents from A. tenuifolia were germacrene D (22.9%) and biciclogermacrene (16.4%), the ones from A. scabra were limonene (22.0%), beta caryophyllene (13.5%) and caryophyllene oxide (13.8%). This is the first time that the trypanocidal activity of these oils and the chemical composition of A. scabra are reported.