ABSTRACT
Petroselinum crispum (Mill) Fuss is an aromatic plant belonging to the Apiaceae family and used in gastronomy as a spice. Several studies have been developed in leaves but studies are limited in seeds, especially the essential oils obtained from seeds. The aim of this study was to determine the phytochemical profile of the volatile compounds of this essential oil by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in order to evaluate its phytotoxic activity on Lactuca sativa seeds and to carry out an in silico analysis on the target enzyme of the herbicide glyphosate 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSP). The essential oil was obtained by steam distillation for two hours and then was injected into a GC-MS, the phytotoxic assay was carried out on Lactuca seeds and the in silico evaluation on the EPSP synthase focused on the volatile compounds similar to glyphosate, docking analysis, and molecular dynamics to establish the protein-ligand stability of the most active molecule. The chromatographic analysis revealed 47 compounds, predominated by three compounds with the most abundant percentage in the total content (1,3,8-ρ-menthatriene (22.59%); apiole (22.41%); and ß-phellandrene (15.02%)). The phytotoxic activity demonstrated that the essential oil had a high activity at 5% against L. sativa seed germination, inhibition of root length, and hypocotyl length, which is comparable to 2% glyphosate. The molecular docking on EPSP synthase revealed that trans-p-menth-6-en-2,8-diol had a high affinity with the enzyme EPSP synthase and a better stability during the molecular dynamic. According to the results, the essential oil of P. crispum seeds presented a phytotoxic activity and might be useful as a bioherbicide agent against weeds.
ABSTRACT
Piper acutifolium Ruiz & Pav is known as "matico" and belongs to the Piperaceae family, and in Peru it is traditionally used as an infusion or decoction to ameliorate wound healings or ulcers. In this study, the aim was to investigate the volatile components, the antioxidant profile, and the phytotoxic activity of the essential oil (EO) of P. acutifolium from Peru. To identify the phytoconstituents, the EO was injected into a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to obtain the chemical profile of the volatile components, followed by the antioxidant activity carried out by the reaction with three organic radicals (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6- sulfonic acid (ABTS); ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP)). Finally, the phytotoxic capabilities of the EO were tested on two model plants, Lactuca sativa seeds and Allium cepa bulbs. As a result, the analysis identified α-phellandrene as its main volatile chemical at 38.18%, followed by ß-myrcene (29.48%) and ß-phellandrene (21.88%). Regarding the antioxidant profile, the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) in DPPH was 160.12 ± 0.30 µg/mL, for ABTS it was 138.10 ± 0.06 µg/mL and finally in FRAP it was 450.10 ± 0.05 µg/mL. The phytotoxic activity demonstrated that the EO had high activity at 5% and 10% against L. sativa seed germination, the inhibition of root length, and hypocotyl length. Additionally, in A. cepa bulbs, the inhibition root length was obtained at 10%, both comparable to glyphosate, which was used as a positive control. The molecular docking on 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) revealed that α-phellandrene had -5.8 kcal/mol, being near to glyphosate at -6.3 kcal/mol. The conclusion shows that the EO of P. acutifolium presented antioxidant and phytotoxic activity and might be useful as a bioherbicide in the future.