Vasorelaxant Activity of Essential Oils from Croton zambesicus and Some of Their Constituents

In this study, we determined the vasorelaxant activity of essential oils of different samples of Croton zambesicus collected in the same area in Benin at different periods and analysed their compositions by GC-FID and GC-MS. 68 compounds were identified among which 20 have not been described previously in this plant's essential oils. We observed quantitative differences among essential oils but all possess significant vasorelaxant activity on intact rat aortae contracted by KCl (IC(50) 5.6-11.8 mu g/mL). This activity may, at least in part, be explained by the presence of vasorelaxant diterpenes such as ent-18-hydroxy-trachyloban-3-one, isopimara-7,15-dien-3 beta-ol, and ent-18-hydroxy-isopimar-7,15-dien-3 beta-ol, previously isolated from the dichloromethane extract of the leaves, but also to linalool (IC(50) 43.4 mu g/mL) and particularly to caryophyllene oxide (IC(50) 2.5 mu g/mL).