Comparative analysis of chemical profiles and antioxidant activities of essential oils obtained from species of Lippia L. by chemometrics

Abstract

Due to the importance of diseases associated with oxidative stress, the search for natural antioxidants proves to be essential. This work aimed to compare the chemical composition and antioxidant potential of essential oils from the genus Lippia L. through chemometric analysis. The essential oils were characterized by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Antioxidant potentials were determined by DPPH, ABTS, Deoxyribose and β-carotene protection, Iron chelation and reduction methods. All data were related by multivariate analyzes. Essential oils showed low similar chemical compositions and no statistically significant relationship. These showed relevant antioxidant activity, especially for L. sidoides that obtained IC₅₀ of 5.22 ± 0.08 µg/mL in ABTS capture. Multivariate analyzes showed the effectiveness of L. alba compounds to DPPH scavenging, Fe³⁺ reduction and β-carotene protection, and L. gracilis components to deoxyribose protect. Thus, studies proving the antioxidant potential of Lippia compounds against oxidative stress and their use in food conservation are fundamental.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Chemometrics; Essential oils; HCA; Lippia; PCA.