Phytochemical profile, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oil extracted from Ecuadorian speciesPiper ecuadorensesodiro

In the present research, the essential oil fromPiper ecuadorensewas analysed by GC/MS and GC/FID techniques. A total of forty-four chemical compounds were identified which represent 98.65% of the essential oil composition. The main compounds were bicyclogermacrene (12.98%), 3-thujopsanone (11.59%), alpha-phellandrene (6.89%), (E)-nerolidol (6.88%), delta-elemene (6.83%) and shyobunol (5.79%). The essential oil fromP. ecuadorenseexerted a strong activity against Gram-positive bacteriumStaphylococcus aureus(ATCC 25923) with an MIC of 250 mu g/mL, and a very strong activity againstTrichophyton rubrum(ATCC 28188) andTrichophyton mentagrophytes(ATCC 28185) with an MIC of 62.5 mu g/mL in both cases. The antioxidant activity of essential oil was explored using DPPH and ABTS method, through ABTS assay. The oils showed an IC(50)of 1.81 +/- 0.09 mg/mL. This is the first report on the chemical composition and biological activity of essential oil from this species.