Chemical Composition and Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Activity of Essential Oils Obtained from Leaves of Xylopia frutescens and X. laevigata (Annonaceae)

Essential oils from leaves of Xylopia frutescens (XFMJ) and two specimens of Xylopia laevigata (XLMC and XLSI) were obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus, and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Sesquiterpenes dominated the essential oils. The main constituents of XFMJ were (E)-caryophyllene (24.8%), bicyclogermacrene (20.8%), germacrene D (17.0%), β-elemene (7.9%), and (E)-β-ocimene (6.8%). XLMC contained significant quantities of germacrene D (18.9%), bicyclogermacrene (18.4%), β-elemene (9.5%), 5-selinene (9.2%), (E)-caryophyllene (8.5%), germacrene B (5.7%) and γ-muurolene (5.7%), while germacrene D (27.0%), bicyclogermacrene (12.8%), (E)-caryophyllene (8.6%), γ-muurolene (8.6%), 5-cadinene (6.8%), and germacrene B (6.0%) were the main components of XLSI. The essential oils had trypanocidal activity against the Y strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. with IC50 values lower than 30 μg.mL−1 and 15 μg.mL−1 against epimastigote and trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi. respectively, and were also able to reduce the percentage in vitro of T. cruzi-infected macrophages and the intracellular number of amastigotes at concentrations that were non-cytotoxic to macrophages.