Cytotoxic Activity of Argentinean Essential Oils on Artemia salina.

Abstract

Aromatic plants are broadly used in popular medicine. Essential oils are receiving increasing attention in the pharmaceutical industry as they contain antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer substances. The brine shrimp (Artemia salina.) assay is a convenient preliminary toxicity test, because brine shrimp is highly sensitive to a variety of chemical substances. The essential oils of 12 vegetable species were obtained by a hydrodistillation process. Essential oils of all plants were screened for their toxicity in the brine shrimp assay with larvae of Artemia salina.. The 50% lethal concentration (LC50) values of essential oils were determined by Finney's Probit analysis. Nontoxic essential oils for Artemia salina. were Aloysia polystachia. (LC50 6459 µg/mL), Minthostachys verticillata. (Griseb.) Epl (LC50 1848 µg/mL), Aloysia triphylla. (L'Herit.) Briton (LC50 1279 µg/mL), and Schinus poligamus. (Cav.) Cabrera (LC50 1179 µg/mL). The most toxic essential oils were Psila spartoides. (H. et A) J.Rimy (LC50 14 µg/mL) and Hyptis mutabilis. (Rich.) Briq (LC50 30 µg/mL). Previous studies with the essential oils of these vegetables have shown antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and yeast.