Chemical Composition of Essential Oils and Toxicologi evaluation of Tagetes erecta and Tagetes patula from Venezuelacal

Abstract

The essential oils from the flowers of Tagetes erecta and Tagetes patula, two plants widely used in traditional medicine of America and Africa countries, were obtained by hydrodistillation, The oil composition was analyzed by GC-MS. Twenty five compounds were identified in the oil of T. erecta, of which linalool (22.5%), 2-hexyl-decanol (18.3%), piperitone (13.4%), 4-terpinyl acetate (7.8%) and caryophyllene (6.6%) are the main components. In the essencial oil of T. patula 21 compounds were identified, and -terthienyl (43.1%), pentatriacontane /23.9), and ethyl-1-dodecanol (7.9%) are the major constituents. The esscencial oils were tested for their toxicological potential on mice, the results showed that the oils os these species have a low toxicity with a TD 99.6 mg/Kg for T. erecta and 112 mg/Kg for T. patula.