Caracterización por cromatografía de gases y evaluación de la actividad citotóxica del aceite esencial de Salvia occidentalis Sw. (Lamiaceae) proveniente del estado Monagas, Venezuela

From the leaves of Salvia occidentalis Sw. (Lamiaceae), collected in Venezuela, Monagas state, an essential oil was obtained by steam distillation. It is a yellow oil with an agreeable odor, and its toxic activity was determined by the brine shrimp Artemia salina Linn. assay. The essential oil had a LC50 value of 2.60μg/mL-1 which indicate cytotoxicity. CG/MS analysis showed that the oil is a mixture of some terpenes, where β-elemene (20,348%) is the major constituent. The identification of compounds was determined by comparing the experimental retention index with those reported in the literature. This is the first report of chemical compounds for this essential oil.