Essential Oil Composition and Antidiabetic, Anticancer Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. Leaves from Erbil (Iraq)

Abstract

The essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis L. leaves growing in Erbil, Iraq was investigated by GC/MS. The essential oil (EO) was extracted by hydro-distillation method. The EO of R. officinalis leaf was examined in-vitro for antidiabetic and anticancer effects. The in-vitro α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition assay was performed to determine antidiabetic effects of R. officinalis EO. MTT assay was carried out to determine the potential antiproliferative and cytotoxic properties of R. officinalis EO. The essential oil of R. officinalis leaf yielded 42 constituents amounting to 99.84 %. The major constituents of R. officinalis EO were verbenone (23.46 %), 1,8-cineol (15.96 %), α-pinene (12.10 %), camphor (10.98 %), and bornyl acetate (5.78%). The R. officinalis EO produces dose dependent inhibition of α-glucosidase enzymes which ranges from 31.01±3.99 to 74.66±1.44 % for concentration 3.125 to 100 µg/mL, respectively. The R. officinalis EO with IC50 value 9.64±2.44 µg/mLwas found comparable with acarbose (IC50 value 12.04±3.17 µg/mL) against α-glucosidase enzyme. The MTT test shows that R. officinalis EO produces dose dependant cytotoxicity against human breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231cells with IC50 value 59.35 µg/mL. The present study confirmed that the EO of R. officinalis could be used for management of cancer and diabetes mellitus.