Chemical Composition and in-vitro biological activities of the essential oil from leaves of Peperomia inaequalifolia Ruiz & Pav.

Peperomia inaequalifolia Ruiz &Pav is a medicinal aromatic plant from Ecuador, known commonly as “congona”, widely appreciated for its pharmacological attributes. The chemical study revealed the presence of 17 components, 14 of which were identified, such as safrole (32,10%), 11-αH-himachal-4- en-1-β-ol (25,29 %), myristicin(13,29 %), elemicin (10,07 %) and viridiflorol (5,24 %). The antiradical (DPPH test) and antioxidant (PCL) activity studies showed that the oil possesses an interesting activity, lightly lower than the natural reference, Thymus vulgaris essential oil. The MIC results showed that the oil has very interesting antimicrobial and antifungal properties, particularly against Gram+ bacteria (Staphylococcus aureussubsp. Aureus ATCC 6538 and Streptococcus mutansATCC 25175) and two yeasts (Candida tropicalisATCC 13803 and Candida albicansATCC 10231).