Constituents and biological activities of Schinus polygamus

J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Oct 11;107(3):395-400. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2006.03.028. Epub 2006 Apr 15.

Abstract

The folk medicine employs Schinus polygamus to treat arthritic pain and cleansing of wounds. As no reports of pharmacological studies supporting its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, extracts of increasing polarity were assayed on the base of fever, pain and inflammation, together with its antimicrobial activity. All the extracts showed pharmacological activities. From the most active extracts different metabolites were isolated that can in part explain the antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activity: beta-sitosterol, shikimic acid together with quercetin, previously reported. Also, the essential oil of leaves and fruits was obtained and compared with the oil obtained from Schinus polygamus collected in Argentine. Oils differed in composition and in antibacterial activity, where the Chilean species exhibited a wide spectrum of activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and the most abundant compound found in leaves and fruits was beta-pinene, meanwhile the Argentine species showed high activity against Bacillus cereus, and the main components resulted to be alpha-phellandrene and limonene.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetic Acid
  • Anacardiaceae*
  • Analgesics / chemistry
  • Analgesics / pharmacology*
  • Analgesics / therapeutic use
  • Animals
  • Anti-Infective Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology*
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / pharmacology*
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use
  • Argentina
  • Bacteria / drug effects
  • Bacteria / growth & development
  • Carrageenan
  • Chile
  • Edema / chemically induced
  • Edema / prevention & control
  • Endotoxins
  • Ethnobotany
  • Fever / chemically induced
  • Fever / prevention & control
  • Fruit
  • Guinea Pigs
  • Mice
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Oils, Volatile / chemistry
  • Oils, Volatile / pharmacology*
  • Oils, Volatile / therapeutic use
  • Pain / chemically induced
  • Pain / prevention & control
  • Pain Measurement
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • Plant Leaves
  • Rabbits

Substances

  • Analgesics
  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Endotoxins
  • Oils, Volatile
  • Plant Extracts
  • endotoxin, Escherichia coli
  • Carrageenan
  • Acetic Acid