Abstract
Among natural products, essential oils from aromatic plants have been reported to possess potent anticancer properties. In this work, we aimed to perform the cytotoxic concentration range screening and antiproliferative activity screening of chemically characterized Thymus vulgaris L. essential oil. In vivo bioassay was conducted using the brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT). In vitro evaluation of antiproliferative activity was carried out on three human tumor cell lines: breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7, lung carcinoma H460 and acute lymphoblastic leukemia MOLT-4 using MTT assay. Essential oil components thymol (36.7%), p-cymene (30.0%), γ-terpinene (9.0%) and carvacrol (3.6%) were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Analyzed essential oil should be considered as toxic/highly toxic with LC50 60.38 µg/mL in BSLT and moderate/weakly cytotoxic with IC50 range 52.65–228.78 µg/mL in vitro, according to evaluated cytotoxic criteria. Essential oil induced a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation in all tested tumor cell lines and showed different sensitivity. Dose dependent toxicity observed in bioassay as well as the in vitro assay confirmed that brine shrimp lethality test is an adequate method for preliminary toxicity testing of Thymus vulgaris L. essential oil in tumor cell lines.
Highlights
Among natural products, essential oils from aromatic plants have been reported to possess potent anticancer properties
This paper focuses on the analysis of the antiproliferative activity of the chemically characterized T. vulgaris L. essential oil against breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell line, lung carcinoma (H460) cell line and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (MOLT-4) cell line
The essential oil of T. vulgaris L. isolated by hydro-distillation was of yellowish color, clear with an aromatic odor of thymol, in total yield of 1.5% (v/w) on dry weight basis
Summary
Essential oils from aromatic plants have been reported to possess potent anticancer properties. According to the latest issue of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), September 2018, lung cancer dominates, as the most common form of cancer and is the most common cause of death among men It is followed by prostate cancer and colorectal cancers by incidence and liver and stomach cancers by mortality[2]. Certain essential oils (EOs) have been labeled as promising anticancer agents and are currently being investigated for their cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities in cancer cell lines or experimental animals[5]. Different mechanisms have been reported for cytotoxic effects of EOs or their constituents These include induction of cell death by apoptosis and/or necrosis, antimutagenic, antiproliferative, antioxidant properties, cell cycle arrest, and loss of key organelle functions[6].
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