Chemical Composition of Dysphania graveolens and Dysphania ambrosioides Essential Oils

Dysphania graveolens and D. ambrosioides (Amarantaceae) are native plants of Central and South America. The essential oils of these plants have been employed traditionally against intestinal parasites (especially worms) throughout Latin America. In the present study, we report a comparative analysis of the essential oils obtained from D. graveolens (DG) and two varieties of D. ambrosioides (green and purple, DAG and DAP).

In general, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry profiles of the essential oils showed high amounts of oxygenated monoterpenes, mainly (Z,Z)-farnesol (16.01%), gamma-terpineol (11.11%), and cadine-4,11-dien-15-ol (8.34%) in DG; phytol (31.30%), ascaridol (32.21%), and carvacrol (13.42%) in DAG, and carvacrol (17.45%), ascaridol (13.15%), and p-cymene (12.79%) in DAP. Thus, the content of ascaridol is higher in DAG. When the essential oil of DG was analyzed by HPLC using a UV dual detector, however, it was demonstrated that the flavanone pinostrobin was present in relevant amounts.

Headspace analyses (SPME) of the leaves of DG using different coated fibers revealed that p-cymene, eucalyptol, and gamma-terpinene were the principal light volatile compounds; in DAG and DAP, however, the most relevant components were alpha-terpinene, p-cymene, ascaridol, and limonene; and alpha-terpinene, p-cymene, chrysanthenone and ascaridol, respectively. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by grant from DGAPA (IN218110).