Abstract
In this study, we determined the vasorelaxant activity of essential oils of different
samples of Croton zambesicus collected in the same area in Benin at different periods and analysed their compositions
by GC‐FID and GC‐MS. 68 compounds were identified among which 20 have not been described
previously in this plant's essential oils. We observed quantitative differences among
essential oils but all possess significant vasorelaxant activity on intact rat aortae
contracted by KCl (IC50 5.6–11.8 µg/mL). This activity may, at least in part, be explained by the presence
of vasorelaxant diterpenes such as ent-18-hydroxy-trachyloban-3-one, isopimara-7,15-dien-3β‐ol, and ent-18-hydroxy-isopimar-7,15-dien-3β‐ol, previously isolated from the dichloromethane
extract of the leaves, but also to linalool (IC50 43.4 µg/mL) and particularly to caryophyllene oxide (IC50 2.5 µg/mL).
Key words
vasorelaxant activity - essential oil -
Croton zambesicus
- Euphorbiaceae - terpenes
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Prof. Joelle Quetin-Leclercq
CHAM Unit
Louvain Drug Research Institute
Université catholique de Louvain
Avenue E. Mounier 72–30
1200 Brussels
Belgium
Telefon: + 32 27 64 72 30
Fax: + 32 27 64 72 53
eMail: joelle.leclercq@uclouvain.be