Abstract

Objective: To determine the chemical constituents, cytotoxic activity and possible applications of the essential oils from the leaves of Abrus precatorius L. Gaertn. Methods: Hydro-distillation using Clevenger-type apparatus was employed to obtain the essential oils. Oil analysis was performed using an HP 6890 gas chromatograph coupled with an HP 5973 mass selective detector. The cytotoxicity bioassay was carried out using the brine shrimp lethality test. Results: Forty-five compounds were identified representing 100% of the oil. The principal components were γ-cadinene (19.1%), α-selinene (15.3%), α-cubenene (12.8%), β-caryophyllene (8.2%), germacrene B (7.9%), α-copaene (7.7%) and linalool (6.3%). Others are caryophyllene oxide (5.5%), β-elemene (5.4%) and α-caryophyllene (4.0%). The oil was potent with the LC50 value of 0.45 μg/mL. Conclusions: The essential oil from the leaves of Abrus precatorius L. Gaertn. could hold promise for future applications in the treatment of cancer-related diseases, in addition to flavor and fragrance industry.

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