Antioxidant and Anti-Acetylcholinesterase Activities of Three Lippia L. Species: A Chemometric Approach.

The aim of this study was to compare the antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE) activities of certain species from the Lippia genus, relating them to previously identified metabolites by chemometric calculations. The antioxidant potentials were determined by DPPH, ABTS, deoxyribose protection, β-carotene, iron chelation, and reduction. The AChE inhibition activity was also evaluated. The data were related through multivariate analyses. All extracts showed significant antioxidant activity, especially Lippia gracilis, with an IC50 of 0.59 ± 0.08 µg/mL for Fe2+ chelation and also demonstrated the best AChE inhibition. Multivariate analyses proved the effectiveness of Lippia sidoides constituents in Fe2+ chelation, DPPH radical reduction, deoxyribose protection, and anti-AChE. It is concluded that the results demonstrate important activities of the extracts, and further studies are needed to confirm the correlations between Lippia secondary metabolites and their use in food preservation.