The essential oils (EOs) extracted from four species of the genus Guatteria, G. australis, G. ferruginea, G. latifolia, and G. sellowiana were analyzed. A total of 24, 22, 25, and 19 constituents of the oils from four species, respectively, were identified by GC/MS. These oils showed qualitative and quantitative differences. All the oils contained the oxygenated sesquiterpenes spathulenol (11.04 - 40.29%) and caryophyllene oxide (7.74 - 40.13%) as predominant constituents. Evaluation of antiproliferative activity of the EOs showed strong selectivity (1.1 - 4.1 μg/ml) against the tumor cell line OVCAR-03 (ovarian cancer), i.e., more active than the positive control doxorubicin (11.7 μg/ml). All EOs showed strong antibacterial activity (minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.062 - 0.25 mg/ml) against strains of Rhodococcus equi.
Keywords: Guatteria; Annonaceae; Antibacterial activity; Antiproliferative activity; Essential oils.
© 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.