Chemical composition and antifungal potential of essential oils from different aerial parts of Protium ovatum Engl.

Abstract

Protium ovatum is a Brazilian endemic species widely distributed between the Cerrado and Amazon biomes. Here, we evaluate the chemical composition of the essential oils (EO) of different shoot organs from P. ovatum including stems, petioles, leaves, flowers, ripe and unripe fruits, and investigate their antifungal potential against Sclerotinea sclerotiorum. The EO were obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and analysed by GC-MS, followed by PCA analysis. The antifungal activity was performed by agar diffusion. Fruits had the highest essential oil contents among the shoot parts. The constituents were found varyingin the different organs: α-Pinene (0.80-18.3%), β-Pinene (0.58-5.17%), Myrcene (0.52-27.3%), Limonene (3.15-59.7%), Caryophyllene E (3.67-16.4%), Germacrene D (6.34-27.4%), and δ-Cadinene (2.29-7.63%). The essential oil from ripe fruit showed the strongest antifungal activity, with the highest Inhibition of Mycelial Growth (IMG) (50.11%) at the lowest concentration assayed (18.75μg.mL-1). This is the first report on the chemical composition of the essential oils from stems, petioles, flowers, and ripe fruits of P. ovatum and their antifungal activity against S. sclerotiorum, making it a potential source of antimicrobial agents.