Cistus libanotis from Algeria: Phytochemical analysis by GC/MS, HS-SPME-GC/MS, LC–MS/MS and its anticancer activity

Abstract

In this paper, Cistus libanotis (Cistus clusii Dunal) from Algeria was investigated. This plant is utilized in numerous industries, mostly in perfumery and, more recently, as a raw material for dietary supplements. For the first time, the present study evaluated the anticancer potential of Algerian C. libanotis by performing a comprehensive phytochemical investigation. The volatile fraction of the fresh plant material of C. libanotis was investigated using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled to GC-MS, and the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) of C. libanotis was examined using GC-MS technique; additionally, the phenolic compounds were identified and quantified using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). A healthy cell line (L929) and two cancer cell lines (CAPAN-1 and dld-1) were used to test the ethanolic extract's cytotoxicity. HS-SPME-GC/MS analysis identified sabinene (25.3 %) and α-thujene (23.8 %) as principal components. In EO the major ingredients were γ-terpinene (17.4 %), camphene (16.13 %), α-phellandrene (15.36 %), and 4-carene (13.54 %). Nevertheless, 24 components were identified by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis and shikimic acid, luteolin and hesperidin were most abundant. Further, the ethanolic extract of C. libanotis showed a significant cytotoxic effect against dld-1 and CAPAN-1 cell lines, while it was less active against the healthy cell line L929.