Investigation of the Essential Oil Constituents of Pimenta racemosa Aerial Parts and Evaluation of Its Antiviral Activity against Hsv 1 and 2

Abstract

Pimenta racemosa is a well-known plant used in traditional medicine to treat several ailments. Current pharmaceutical industries rely heavily on the discovery of secondary metabolites found in plants to aid in the development of novel drugs with potential biological activity. This study aimed to investigate the essential oil constituents of Pimenta racemose (Mill.) J. W. Moore aerial parts (leaves and small branches) and evaluate its antiviral activity. The essential oil was prepared by conventional hydro distillation method. The prepared oil was analyzed by GC/MS. Identification of the essential oil constituents was achieved by comparing retention indices (RI) relative to standard n-alkanes (C8-C28); and their MS to NIST and WILEY mass spectral library database. MTT assay was applied to detect the cytotoxic properties of the prepared oil against Vero cell line. A cytopathic effect inhibition assay was applied to test the antiviral properties. Forty-five Compounds were identified. Eugenol (34.85%), β-pinene (18.29%), linalool (13.64%), and limonene (11.92%) were the predominant components. The essential oil showed good antiviral activity against herpes simplex type 1 virus (HSV-1), while it showed Moderate antiviral activity against herpes simplex type 2 virus (HSV-2). Finally, this study was conducted that eugenol was the main component of the essential oil of P. racemosa, the essential oil showed antiviral activity against herpes simplex type 1 and 2.