Planta Med 2012; 78 - PD18
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1320376

Antimutagenic activity of essential oils from Schinus Areira L. (Anacardiaceae)

SA Rodriguez 1, 3, RA Sueiro 2, AP Murray 1, JM Leiro 3
  • 1INQUISUR, Departamento de Química, UNS, Pcia. Bs.As., Argentina
  • 2IIAA, Laboratorio de Microbiología, USC, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
  • 3IIAA, Laboratorio de Parasitología, USC, Sgo de Compostela, Spain

Schinus areira L. (syn. Schinus molle L. var. areira (L.) DC.) is a native species known by its medicinal value. The essential oils (EOs) of fruits and leaf from S.areira L. and the major compound from fruit oil have been studied for their antimutagenic activity.

The chemical composition of the oil of the aerial parts of S. areira obtained by hydrodistillation was determined by GC-MS. Fruit and leaf oils of S. areira were analyzed separately.

The experiments were carried out using the Ames test [1] with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100, TA98, TA102, TA 1535 and TA 1537. The result determined that EOs do not exhibit mutagenic effect, at concentrations between 5 and 0.05 µg/mL.

The EOs also showed antimutagenic activity against sodium azide, 9 amine acridine, 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone and Mitomycin C. The inhibition of the mutagenic effect from leaf and fruit oils ranged from 30.2–78.3% to 37.1–87.9% respectively, in a concentration-dependent manner.

The essential oil from S. areira fruit was more active, this could be associated with the presence of myrcene, the main compound in the oil which is reported to have antimutagenic properties.

[1] Maron, D.M. and Ames, B.N. (1983), Mutation Res., 113, 173–215