Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil from Male and Female Schinus terebinthifolius

Carneiro, Mara Junqueira; Pinheiro, Guilherme Perez; Baseggio, Andressa Mara; Maróstica-Júnior, Mário Roberto; Sawaya, Alexandra Christine Helena Frankland

doi:10.5530/pres.15.3.050

Research ArticlePharmacognosy ResearchVol. 15 | Issue 3 | 2026 | pp. 484–491Open access

Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil from Male and Female Schinus terebinthifolius

¹,
²,
³,
,
¹^*

¹ Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Campinas, São Paulo, BRAZIL.
² Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, São Paulo, BRAZIL.
³ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, São Paulo, BRAZIL.

Correspondence: Alexandra Christine Helena Frankland Sawaya
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Campinas, São Paulo, BRAZIL.
Email: achfsawa@unicamp.br

Published:: Aug 14, 2026
Received:: Jan 30, 2023
Accepted:: Apr 30, 2023
DOI:: 10.5530/pres.15.3.050

How to cite

Carneiro, M. J., Pinheiro, G. P., Baseggio, A. M., Maróstica-Júnior, M. R., & Sawaya, A. C. H. F. (2026). Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil from Male and Female Schinus terebinthifolius. Pharmacognosy Research, 15(3), 484–491. https://doi.org/10.5530/pres.15.3.050

Abstract

Background: Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi is a medicinal plant popularly known as pink pepper tree, commonly used for wound healing, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial purposes. Furthermore, its fruit is used in culinary. Objectives: In order to further understand the composition and bioactivities of S. terebinthifolius essential oil from vegetative and reproductive parts of the tree, we evaluated the chemical composition and the antioxidant activity of Essential Oils (EO) obtained from different aerial parts of male and female plants. Materials and Methods: The EO was extracted by hydrodistillation; the antioxidant activity was evaluated via two in vitro assays with different mechanisms of action (DPPH and ORACFL) and the chemical composition was determined via GC-MS. Results: The EO from leaf, inflorescence and fruit of S. terebinthifolius showed distinct chemical profiles, yields and antioxidant potentials. Conclusion: The aerial parts of S. terebinthifolius may be used as a natural source of antioxidants, since all samples showed strong antioxidant capacity, mainly in the DPPH assay.

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Article metadata

Title	Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil from Male and Female Schinus terebinthifolius
Authors	Mara Junqueira Carneiro; Guilherme Perez Pinheiro; Andressa Mara Baseggio; Mário Roberto Maróstica-Júnior; Alexandra Christine Helena Frankland Sawaya
Affiliations	Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Campinas, São Paulo, BRAZIL.; Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, São Paulo, BRAZIL.; Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, São Paulo, BRAZIL.
Corresponding author	achfsawa@unicamp.br
Journal	Pharmacognosy Research
Volume / Issue	Vol. 15, Issue 3 (2026)