Chemical composition, antioxidant properties and anti-cholinesterase activity of Cordia gilletii (Boraginaceae) leaves essential oil.

This study aimed to investigate for the first time the chemical composition, the antioxidant properties and the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activity of the essential oil from the leaves of Cordia gilletii De Wild (Boraginaceae). The essential oil, characterized by 23 constituents (90.1% of the total oil), was constituted by terpene derivatives (25.6%) and non-terpene derivatives (64.5%), among which aldehydes, fatty acids and alkanes were present with the percentage of 16.5%, 18.8% and 23.1%, respectively. The antioxidant activity of C. gilletii essential oil was screened by two in vitro tests: DPPH and beta-carotene bleaching test. The essential oil revealed antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 75.0 and 129.9 microg/mL on DPPH radical and beta-carotene decoloration tests, respectively. Moreover, C. gilletii inhibited AChE enzyme with an IC50 value of 105.6 microg/mL.