Phytochemical study of Peperomia sandersii C. DC.(Piperaceae)

Peperomia sandersii C. D.C. (Piperaceae) is a perennial herbaceous plant native to Central and South America, previously known as Peperomia arifolia var. argyreia Miq., which is highly appreciated as an ornamental plant. There is no information about its phytochemical composition and biological properties. Recently, crude extracts of aerial parts and roots of P. sandersii demonstrated selective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 with MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) values between 31-62.5 μg/ml (MIC Vancomycin = 1 μg/ml) for hexane (Hex), dichloromethane (DCM), methanol (MeOH) and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts. Moreover, preliminary studies were started to characterize the essential oil of the species, which also demonstrated antibacterial activity against S. aureus in a bioautographic assay. In this work, we report the phytochemical characterization of Hex and MeOH extracts from the aerial parts and the essential oil composition of P. sandersii.