Supercritical fluid extraction of volatile and non-volatile compounds from Schinus molle L

Antileishmanial and Antifungal Activities of Volatile Oils from Cinnamomum Cassia Bark and Schinus Molle Leaves

This study reports on the chemical composition and antileishmanial and anticandidal activities of volatile oils (VOs) of Schinus molle dried leaves (SM), Cinnamomum cassia branch bark (CC) and their blends. Major constituents of SM were spathulenol (26.93 %), β-caryophyllene (19.90 %), and caryophyllene oxide (12.69 %), whereas (E)-cinnamaldehyde (60.11 %), cinnamyl acetate (20.90 %) and cis-2-methoxycinnamic acid (10.37 %) were predominant in CC. SM (IC50=21.45 μg/mL) and CC (IC50=23.27 μg/mL) displayed good activity against L. amazonensis promastigotes, besides having good or moderate activity against nine Candida strains, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values ranging from 31.25 to 250 μg/mL. While the three SM and CC blends were not more active than the VOs tested individually, they exhibited remarkably high antileishmanial activity, with IC50 values ranging between 3.12 and 7.04 μg/mL, which is very similar to the IC50 of amphotericin B (positive control).

Macroalga Padina pavonica water extracts obtained by pressurized liquid extraction and microwave-assisted extraction inhibit hyaluronidase activity as shown by capillary electrophoresis

Hyaluronidase degrades hyaluronic acid, the principal component of the extracellular matrix. Inhibition of this enzyme is thus expected to hinder skin aging. Brown alga Padina pavonica activity toward hyaluronidase was evaluated using capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based enzymatic assays. This green technique allows evaluation of the biological activity of the natural material in an economic manner. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), microwave assisted extraction (MAE), supercritical fluid extraction and electroporation extraction techniques were used. Extraction conditions were optimized to obtain cosmetically acceptable Padina pavonica extracts with the best inhibition activity. CE-based assays were conducted using only a few nanoliters of reactants, a capillary of 60cm total length and of 50μm internal diameter, +20kV voltage for separation in 50mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 9.0) and 200nm wavelength for detection. The reaction mixture was incubated for 1h and CE analysis time was about 11min. A novel online CE-assay using transverse diffusion of laminar flow profiles for in-capillary reactant mixing allowed efficient monitoring of hyaluronidase kinetics with Km and Vmax equal to 0.46±0.04mgmL-1 and 137.1±0.3nMs-1 (r2=0.99; n=3), respectively. These values compared well with literature, which validates the assay. Water extracts obtained by PLE (60°C; 2 cycles) and MAE (60°C; 1000W; 2min) presented the highest anti-hyaluronidase activity. The half maximal effective concentration (IC50) of water PLE extract was 0.04±0.01mgmL-1 (r2=0.99; n=3). This value is comparable to the one obtained for Einsenia bicyclis phlorotannin fractions (IC50=0.03mgmL-1), which makes Padina pavonica bioactivity very promising.

In vitro efficacy of essential oils and extracts of Schinus molle L. against Ctenocephalides felis felis

Extracts and essential oils from plants are important natural sources of pesticides. These compounds are considered an alternative to control ectoparasites of veterinary importance. Schinus molle, an endemic species of Brazil, produces a high level of essential oil and several other compounds. The aim of this work was to determinate the chemical composition of extracts and essential oils of S. molle and further to evaluate the activity against eggs and adults of Ctenocephalides felis felis, a predominant flea that infests dogs and cats in Brazil. In an in vitro assay, the non-polar (n-hexane) extract showed 100% efficacy (800 µg cm(-2); LD50 = 524·80 µg cm(-2)) at 24 and 48 h. Its major compound was lupenone (50·25%). Essential oils from fruits and leaves were evaluated, and had 100% efficacy against adult fleas at 800 µg cm(-2) (LD50 = 353·95 µg cm(-2)) and at 50 µg cm(-2) (LD50 = 12·02 µg cm(-2)), respectively. On the other hand, the essential oil from fruits and leaves was not active against flea eggs. This is the first study that reports the insecticidal effects of essential oils and extracts obtained from Schinus molle against Ctenocephalides felis felis.

Effect of solvent type and ratio on betacyanins and antioxidant activity of extracts from Hylocereus polyrhizus flesh and peel by supercritical fluid extraction and solvent extraction

The main objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of solvent type and ratio as well as the extraction techniques (i.e. supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and conventional solvent extraction) on betacyanins and antioxidant activity of the peel and fresh extract from the red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus). The peel and flesh extracts obtained by SFE at 25MPa pressure and 10% EtOH/water (v/v) mixture as a co-solvent contained 24.58 and 91.27mg/100ml total betacyanin, respectively; while the most desirable solvent extraction process resulted in a relatively higher total betacyanin in the peel and flesh extracts (28.44 and 120.28mg/100ml, respectively). The major betacyanins identified in the pitaya peel and flesh extracts were betanin, isobetanin, phyllocactin, butyrylbetanin, isophyllocactin and iso-butyrylbetanin. The flesh extract had the stronger antioxidant activity than the peel extract when the higher proportion of ethanol to water (E/W) was applied for the extraction.