Chemical Composition and Anticholinesterase Activity of the Essential Oil from the Ecuadorian Plant Salvia pichinchensis Benth
Melissa Salinas, Nicole Bec, James Calva, Jorge E. Ramírez, José Miguel Andrade, Christian Larroque, Giovanni Vidari, Chabaco Armijos
Abstract
Salvia pichinchensis Benth was collected in the South of Ecuador and the essential oil (EO) was distilled from aerial parts and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. The physical properties, chemical composition, and cholinesterase inhibitory activity were determined. Six major components, all sesquiterpenes, were identified: cis-cadina-1(6),4-diene (17.11%) (1), -curcumene (13.75%) (2), (E)-caryophyllene (12.58%) (3), (E,E)--farnesene (10.00%) (4), -gurjunene (9.46%) (5) and allo-aromadendrene (6.96%) (6). The EO showed an interesting selective inhibitory activity against the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (50.70 g/mL) and only low inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (117.60 g/mL). The chemical composition and butyrylcholinesterase activity of the EO of S. pichinchensis Benth was reported for first time.