**Acknowledgements**

**4. Biological activity of essential oils**

spathulenol (5%).

β-cubebene (5%).

*p*-cymene (6%).

*p*-cymene (10%).

(4%).

δ-cadinene (3%), caryophyllene oxide (7%).

**Table 2.** Main constituents of essential oils of species collected in botanical outings.

**Species Composition**

**Verbenaceae family**

80 Potential of Essential Oils

One of the most important research lines of the CENIVAM Project is related to the study of different biological activities of essential oils. Bioactivity assays against *Trypanosoma cruzi* (epimastigotes and amastigotes), *Leishmania chagasi* (promastigotes and amastigotes), Vero cell assays, and THP cells were carried out at the Research Center for Tropical Illnesses, CINTROP. About 48% of the essential oils examined were active against *T*. *cruzi*. The essential oils were also tested against *L*. *chagasi* (promastigotes and amastigotes) and 19% were active [28, 29]. The virucidal activity of some essential oils was studied at the CINTROP, against the dengue (serotype 2) [30–33], and yellow fever [31, 34] viruses. Of the essential oils tested, respectively, 83 and 66% were active against this type of virus, constituting this result in a very interesting contribution, especially considering that there is not much data in the literature on the activity of essential oils against this type of virus. The essential oils of two chemotypes of *Lippia origanoides* (Fam. Verbenaceae) were in vitro potent agents against dengue and yellow fever viruses, which warrant the future study of the mechanism of their antiviral action.

*Dalea coerulea* α-Phellandrene (6%), *p*-cymene (8%), β-phellandrene (13%), piperitone (5%), α-caracolene (7%),

*Lantana boyacana* α-Pinene (5%), sabinene (11%), 1,8-cineole (14%), *trans-*β-caryophyllene (9%), α-humulene (6%). *Lantana fucata* β-Phellandrene (4%), *trans-*β-caryophyllene (14%), α-zingiberene (6%), germacrene D (10%),

*Lippia alba* Limonene (30%), carvone (50%), piperitone (3%), piperitenone (6%), bicyclosesquiphellandrene

*Lippia americana trans*-β-caryophyllene (21%), germacrene D (12%), δ-cadinene (6%), caryophyllene oxide (13%),

*Lippia micromera p*-Cymene (13%), γ-terpinene (9%), thymol methyl ether (25%), thymol (27%), γ-terpinene (9%). *Lippia origanoides* γ-Terpinene (6%), *trans*-β-caryophyllene (7%), α-humulene (4%), caryophyllene oxide (2%),

*Lippia canescens trans*-β-caryophyllene (27%), α-humulene (12%), caryophyllene oxide (8%), limonene (7%),

Different CENIVAM groups, among them, in the Research Center for Biomolecules, CIBIMOL [35, 36], Environmental and Computational Chemistry of the University of Cartagena [37, 38], Chemistry and Biology of the Universidad del Norte, in Barranquilla [39] measured the antioxidant activity of essential oils by different techniques, e.g., lipid oxidation, measurement of secondary end products of lipoxidation, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) test, and free radical trapping tests (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid, ABTS + and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH). Grosso modo, about 40% of the analyzed

The study of the cytotoxic activity (acute toxicity, LC50) of the essential oils was carried out by several groups. Cecilia Mesa et al. examined the activity against *Candida krusei* and *Aspergillus* 

samples were active in different tests of antioxidant activity.

This work was supported by the "Patrimonio Autonomo Fondo Nacional de Financiamiento para la Ciencia, la Tecnologia y la Innovacion, Francisco Jose de Caldas," Grants RC-0572– 2012, RC-245-2011, RC-432-2004. The "Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible" of Colombia supported the present project through access permits to genetic resources and derivatives for scientific research (Agreement No101, Resolution No 0812).
