CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, ANTIOXIDANT, ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTI-CANDIDA ALBICANS ACTIVITY IN VITRO OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF CINCHONA PUBESCENS VAHL. LEAVES

Abstract

The chemical composition, antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-Candida albicans activity in vitro of the essential oil of Cinchona pubescens Vahl. leaves from the Lambayeque region were analyzed. The predominant phytochemical compounds detected by HPLC analysis were phytol (36,98 %), n-Tetratetracontan (9,38 %) and heneicosane (6,69 %). The DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods were used to determine the antioxidant activity and the agar diffusion method was used to evaluate the antibacterial and anti-Candida albicans activity in vitro. The essential oil of Cinchona pubescens leaves was reported to have an IC50 of 273.029 mg/mL and TEAC of 0.0089mg Trolox/g sample with the DPPH method; with ABTS an IC50 of 1.2801 mg/mL and a TEAC of 3.5584 mg Trolox/g sample and with FRAP an AAEAC of 1.622 mg AA/ g oil was obtained. In addition, the antimicrobial and anti-Candida albicans activity assay expressed negative results against Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. In conclusion, the HPLC analysis of the chemical composition of the essential oil did not present any compounds with antioxidant capacity and despite containing n-tetratetracontan and heneicosane, compounds with antimicrobial capacity, no inhibition of bacterial growth was observed.