Essential oils from Mentha piperita, Cymbopogon citratus, Rosmarinus officinalis, Peumus boldus and Foeniculum vulgare: inhibition of phospholipase A2 and cytotoxicity to human erythrocytes

Abstract

The essential oils from Mentha piperita, Cymbopogon citratus, Rosmarinus officinalis, Peumus boldus and Foeniculum vulgare were extracted by hydrodistillation and characterized and quantified by GC-MS and GC-DIC. The oils induced hemolysis with all the doses evaluated (0.6 to 1.8 μL), and the diameters of the halos varied between 9 and 15 mm. Pre-incubation of P. boldus oil with Bothrops jararacussu venom resulted in potentiation of venom-induced hemolysis (30%) (proteases and phospholipases A2). The essential oil from M. piperita (0.6 μL) inhibited venom-induced hemolysis by 45%, whereas 0.6 μL of R. officinalis oil increased the hemolysis by 20%. For the essential oil from F. vulgare, 100% inhibition of activity (0.6 and 1.2 μL) was observed. The application of C. citratus oil induced hemolysis with all the volumes evaluated. Phospholipase activity induced by the venom was only inhibited (10%) with the 0.6 μL volume of R. officinalis oil. The oils from M. piperita and F. vulgare (1.8 μL) and C. citratus oil (0.6 μL) potentiated the phospholipase activity. The results highlight the need for a broad characterization and regulation of the use of natural products, because they can have therapeutic or toxic actions