Chemical constituents and potential anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oil from the leaves of Croton argyrophyllus

Many species from Croton genus have been used in traditional medicine and its pharmacological activities demonstrated. Croton argyrophyllus Kunth, Euphorbiaceae, is a shrub that grows in the flora of Northeastern Brazilian. The essential oil of C. argyrophyllus leaves was tested in rodents (10-100 mg/kg, p.o.) in classical models of inflammation (carrageenan-induced paw oedema and peritonitis) and its chemical constituents were determined by GC-MS/FID analysis. Nitric oxide radical-scavenging activity and lipidic peroxidation were determined to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the essentia...