CARACTERIZAÇÃO QUÍMICA E ATIVIDADE LEISHMANICIDA DO ÓLEO ESSENCIAL DE Lithraea brasiliensis Marchand.

Abstract

Lithraea brasiliensis Marchand., popularly known as "aroeira-brava", is a species distributed in South America being found in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, belonging to the Anacardiaceae family. Despite belonging to a family known to contain several plant species with biological activities, there are few works published in the literature on the chemical composition and biological potential of. Thus, the work presented carried out a chemical characterization and evaluated the biological potential, from anti-Leishmania, antioxidant, cytotoxic potential (in vitro) and toxicity (in vivo) of the essential oil extracted from the fruits of Lithraea brasiliensis. Through the essential analysis by Mass Spectrometry Coupled Chromatography (GC-MS), thirty-two chemical components were elaborated, among them β-myrcene, 4-octanoic acid methyl ester and nerolidol. In the antioxidant activity, the essential oil of Lithraea brasiliensis (OLB) showed antioxidant in none of the potential diseases, when compared to the quercetin standard. OLB showed anti-Leishmania activity. In the evaluation of anti-promastigote activity, OLB showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 80.5 μg/mL for Leishmania amazonensis and 93.51 μg/mL for Leishmania infantum. The cytotoxic assay in sheep erythrocytes (μg/mL) and in RAW cells, expressed or derived from results, in which the treatment with OLB was dose-dependent, the higher the concentration, the higher the toxicity, for RAW cells the OLB had a minimum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 962.8 μg/mL. In the acute toxicity with larvae of Tenebrio molitor (g/Kg) the OLB presented toxic evaluation in the two highest doses used, with the dose of the dose there was no toxicity. Thus, we conclude that the essential oil of Lithraea brasiliensis fruits has biological potential, demonstrating anti-protozoal activity against Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania infantum, evidencing a biosafety profile, from in vitro and in vivo cellular cytotoxicity alternatives using invertebrates. These results direct us to research on other biological targets since there are studies related to this species.