Phytochemical research of the acetate and methanol extracts of the aerial parts (flowers, leaves and stems) of Salvia elegans allowed to obtain seventeen known compounds (1-17): three of them (4, 5, 14), had already been described for this species, while the others (1-3, 6-13, 15-17) are described for the first time for S. elegans. All isolated compounds were characterized using spectroscopic techniques and mass spectrometry and were evaluated in the Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition model, where the phenolic compounds (13, 14 and 15) had the same inhibitory effect as lisinopril at 0.02 mg/mL. The terpenes showed a moderate inhibitory capacity at a concentration of 0.2 mg/mL.
Keywords: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; Salvia elegans Vahl; phenolic compounds; terpenes.