Cytotoxicity of the essential oils from Tajikistan plants against HeLa cells

Abstract

The study was aimed to evaluate the anticancer activity of the essential oils from selected aromatic plants growing wild in Tajikistan against HeLa cells. The essential oils of Anethum graveolens (AG), Foeniculum vulgare (FV), Galagania fragrantissima (GF) (Apiaceae), Achillea filipendulina (AF), Artemisia absinthium (AAb), Artemisia annua (AAn), Artemisia rutifolia (AR), Artemisia scoparia (AS) (Asteraceae), Hypericum perforatum (HP) (Clusiaceae) and Hyssopus seravschanicus (HS), Melissa officinalis (MO), Mentha longifolia (ML), Origanum tyttanthum (OT), Salvia sclarea (SS), and Ziziphora clinopodioides (ZC) (Lamiaceae) have been obtained from fresh plant material by hydrodistillation. The cytotoxicity of the essential oils was determined using the MTT assay. IC50 values of cytotoxicity ranged between 0.09 and 0.96 mg/ml (Table 1). Their activity was in descending order: AG > AAb > AAn > FV > GF > HP > MO > OT > ML > ZC > SS > AS > AR > AF > HS. The essential oil of Anethum graveolens L. exhibited the strongest effect with an IC50 of 0.09 mg ml-1, while the weakest effect was noted for the essential oil of Hyssopus seravschanicus (IC50 0.96 mg ml-1).