Seasonal Study of the Essential Oil from Aerial Parts of Peperomia galioides Kunth (Piperaceae)

The aim of this work is the study of the chemical composition and the seasonal variation of the essential oil from aerial parts of Peperomia galioides Kunth, collected at Serra dos Orgaos National Park, Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The major components identified were: summer - alpha-pinene (22.75 +/- 0.12 %) and myrcene (18.18 +/- 0.03 %); autumn - trans-caryophyllene (22.37 +/- 0.11 %) and epi-alpha-bisabolol (9.12 +/- 0.12 %); winter - trans-caryophyllene (12.96 +/- 1.01 %) and epi-alpha-bisabolol (11.11 +/- 0.76 %); spring- epi-alpha-bisabolol (18.46 +/- 0.32 %) and trans-caryophyllene (16.25 +/- 0.15 %). The results showed high Pearson's correlation directly between temperature and monoterpenes hydrocarbons biosynthesis as well as oils yielding and inversely between temperature and sesquiterpenes biosynthesis, mainly delta-cadinene, E-nerolidol and epi-a-bisabolol. Also Pearson's correlation showed direct correlation between oxygenated monoterpene and precipitation. This work describes for the first time the chemical profile and seasonality of the EO of the aerial parts of P. gallioides collected in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, highlighting differences of the chemical composition between seasons and those described in the literature