Antioxidant activity of essential oils from leaves of Schinus lentiscifolius Marchand

Resumen

Introduction: Extracts and essential oils from Schinus spp. (Anacardiaceae) have been evaluated for their biological activities. Some Schinus essential oils have antioxidant properties.
Objective: Determine the antioxidant capacity of the essential oil from leaves of Schinus lentiscifolius Marchand (carobá).
Methods: Antioxidant activity was determined by the 1.1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical method. For analysis, the essential oil was dissolved in methanol at concentrations of 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg/ml. Thymol was used as standard antioxidant.
Results: Antioxidant activity of S. lentiscifolius essential oil was found to depend on the dose, reaching 54.4% at 100 mg/ml. However, thymol displayed stronger activity than S. lentiscifolius oil at a lower concentration (25 mg/ml).
Conclusions: Essential oil from S. lentiscifolius leaves displayed moderate antioxidant activity. This may be due to the presence of some monoterpenes in the oil.

Key words: DPPH method, free radical capture, terpenes, Anacardiaceae