The essential oil (EO) of aerial parts of Lantana camara L., Verbenaceae, from Simões, Piaui, Northeast of Brazil, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS techniques. In total, 68 compounds were identified. The most representative compounds of the oil were mono and sesquiterpenes. The main compounds found in the oil of the leaves in different months were β-caryophyllene (10.5%, in June of 2009), sabinene (7.98%, in September of 2008), limonene (7.68%, in September of 2008), spathulenol (11.64%, in September of 2008). The oil from stems of L. camara was characterized by a largest amount of sesquiterpenoids, with spatulenol (15.9%) and caryophyllene oxide (17.1% in June of 2009), as main components. β-Gurjunene (32.7%, in September of 2008) was the most prominent compound in the stems oils, which was absent or at very low relative abundance in leaves. L. camara essential oils from leaves were cytotoxic to V79 mammalian cells and also to Artemia salina, showing 50% lethal concentration (LC50) values from 0.23 µg/mL. The in vitro data obtained in this study suggested that EO may also be effective treating yeast infection in patients infected with fluconazole and terbinafine resistant isolates, but its toxicity must be monitored carefully.

Species of the genus Lantana, belonging to the family Verbenaceae, is among the various species studied scientifically. These species are mainly native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Currently, they are present in various countries, where they are often grown as ornamental plants. For decades, species of Lantana have been of great interest for phytochemical, biological and pharmacological studies, which have been recently intensified. The components isolated from different species of Lantana cited in the literature constitute the focus of this review. Information ethnopharmacology of Lantana, as well as the activities of their different phytochemicals are discussed. In this review, it was observed that the genus Lantana has been widely studied in relation to its phytochemical components and terpenoids, flavonoids and phenylpropanoids are the more common secondary metabolites in Lantana. All these aspects, considered in this review, allow an evaluation of the ethnopharmacological potential of Lantana for the utilization of the large biomass of these plants.