Plant-derived products are employed in various public health practices and have been considered as a major source of medicines. The genus Plectranthus (Lamiaceae) has been widely respected for its nutritional properties, its essential oil, and its therapeutic values. In the present work, the chemical characterization, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, and cytotoxic properties of the essential oil from Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng and its main compound carvacrol were studied. Twenty-one components were identified in the oil by gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometric detector. In this oil, carvacrol constitutes the major compound (71%), which represented the more abundant chemotype. The essential oil did not inhibit growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Trypanosoma cruzi, or Leishmania infantum, but displayed activity against Plasmodium falciparum (half-maximal inhibitory concentration [IC₅₀] = 5.9 µg/mL), Trypanosoma brucei (IC₅₀ = 34.9 µg/mL), and Leishmania amazonensis (IC₅₀ = 58.2 µg/mL), and the human tumor-derived cell lines MCF-7 (IC₅₀ = 29.1 µg/mL), MDA-MB-231 (IC₅₀ = 41.5 µg/mL), and 22Rv1 (IC₅₀ = 29.6 µg/mL), but no cytotoxicity was observed against nonmalignant macrophages. The antiproliferative activity of the oil could be attributed to carvacrol. However, this compound showed certain level of cytotoxicity, which suggests unspecific activity. This study provides evidence about antimicrobial and anticancer potential of the essential oil from P. amboinicus against protozoa and neoplastic diseases, particularly as an antimalarial natural product.

植物来源的产品被用于各种公共卫生实践中，并被认为是药物的主要来源。属之左手（唇形科）已被广泛尊重其营养特性，它的精油，其治疗价值。在目前的工作中，研究了竹lect（Plectranthus amboinicus（Lour。）Spreng）及其主要复合香芹酚的精油的化学表征，抗菌，抗寄生虫和细胞毒性。通过气相色谱仪和质谱检测器相结合，在油中鉴定出21种成分。在这种油中，香芹酚是主要化合物（占71％），代表更丰富的化学型。精油没有抑制大肠杆菌，金黄色葡萄球菌，白色念珠菌，克氏锥虫或婴儿利什曼原虫，但显示出对恶性疟原虫（半最大抑制浓度[IC ₅₀ ] = 5.9 µg / mL），布鲁氏锥虫（IC ₅₀ = 34.9 µg / mL）的活性，和Leishmania amazonensis（IC ₅₀ = 58.2 µg / mL），以及人肿瘤来源的细胞系MCF-7（IC ₅₀ = 29.1 µg / mL），MDA-MB-231（IC ₅₀ = 41.5 µg / mL），和22Rv1（IC ₅₀= 29.6 µg / mL），但未观察到对非恶性巨噬细胞的细胞毒性。油的抗增殖活性可以归因于香芹酚。但是，该化合物显示出一定程度的细胞毒性，这表明存在非特异性活性。这项研究提供了有关竹假单胞菌精油对原生动物和赘生性疾病，特别是作为抗疟疾天然产物的抗微生物和抗癌潜力的证据。