"PIPERACEAE FROM UTINGA STATE PARK: CHEMICAL STUDY AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF ESSENTIAL OILS OF SELECTED SPECIES OF Piper L. and Peperomia Ruiz & Pav."
Natural products. Chemical profile. Conservation Unit. Artemia salina. Allelopathy.
The Piperaceae family is widely studied because of the genera Piper L. and Peperomia Ruiz & Pav, which besides being the most representative of the family, constitute an important source of raw material of natural resources and knowledge, since both have species that produce essential oils and thus present several biological and chemical properties, such as antibacterial, fungicidal, larvicidal and antioxidant effects, showing immense potential for generating new bioactive products. Thus, the present study aims to catalog species of Piper and Peperomia in the ecological trails of Utinga State Park, Belém, Pará, and to evaluate the chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from the leaves of pre-selected species of Piper and Peperomia. The essential oils will be extracted by hydrodistillation and the chemical composition will be analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The evaluation of the antioxidant potential will use the DPPH free radical scavenging method. The preliminary cytotoxicity of the oils will be tested against Artemia salina and the phytotoxic potential will be evaluated on two bioindicator species that are weeds from pasture areas common in the Amazon region: Mimosa pudica (malícia) and Senna obtusifolia (mata-pasto). With this, it is hoped to acquire more information about the genera Piper and Peperomia present in the study area, in addition to knowledge about the chemical profile and biological activities of the essential oils of the species studied, as well as obtain more information for better management and consequently, preservation of potentially important plants within the Utinga State Park.