TITLE:
Essential Oils from Lippia origanoides Kunth. and Mentha spicata L.: Chemical Composition, Insecticidal and Antioxidant Activities
AUTHORS:
Maria Luisa Teixeira, Maria das G. Cardoso, Ana Cristina S. Figueiredo, Jair C. Moraes, Franscinely A. Assis, Juliana de Andrade, David L. Nelson, Marcos de Souza Gomes, Josefina Aparecida de Souza, Luiz Roberto Marques de Albuquerque
KEYWORDS:
Antioxidant Activity; Insecticidal Activity; Lamiaceae; Natural Products; Verbenaceae
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.9,
April
3,
2014
ABSTRACT: This work describes
the chemical composition of the essential oils extracted from fresh leaves of Lippia origanoides Kunth. and Mentha spicata L. and their antioxidant
and insecticidal activities. The essential oils were extracted by steam
distillation using a modified Clevenger apparatus and subsequently analyzed by gas
chromatography-flame ionization detector and
gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activities were
determined by the β-carotene-linoleic acid method and by sequestration of the
2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hidrazila radical. The concentrations of the essential
oils and the synthetic standard, butylated hydroxyltoluene, were 25, 50, 100,
150, 200, 250, 300 and 500 μg mL-1. Insecticidal activity was
analyzed by non-preference with choice and no choice against the aphid Myzus persicae Sulzer. Gas
chromatography analysis of the essential oil from Lippia origanoides Kunth. revealed carvacrol (41.51%), p-cymene (18.36%), γ-terpinene (17.03%)
and thymol (4.86%) as major constituents, and the essential oil from Mentha spicata L. contained piperitona
(81.18%), piperitenone (14.57%) and limonene (1.47%) as the principal
components. The essential oils and the standard exhibited dose-dependent
antioxidant activities at the concentrations tested. The essential oils were
shown to be potential agents in the integrated management of the aphid Myzus persicae Sulzer.