Abstract
The present study describes DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and antimutagenic properties of the essential oil of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.). Plant samples were collected from the two distant localities (southernmost and northern point) of the Montenegro coastline. Chemical profiles of the two samples were evaluated by GC-MS. In both of the samples monoterpenes were found to be the predominant compounds. Among them α-pinene, linalool, 1,8-cineole, and myrtenyl acetate were the major compounds. Significant differences between the samples were found in the ranges of α-pinene (14.7%–35.9%) and myrtenyl acetate (5.4%–21.6%). Both oils exhibited moderate DPPH scavenging activity, with IC50 values of 6.24 mg/mL and 5.99 mg/mL. The antimutagenic properties were assayed against spontaneous and t-BOOH-induced mutagenesis in Escherichia coli oxyR mutant IC202, a bacterial strain deficient in removing ROS. Reduction of the spontaneous mutagenesis in presence of myrtle EO was only slight, up to 13% at the highest concentration tested. When the oxidative mutagen was used, EO expressed higher reduction of mutagenesis, in a concentration dependent manner, with statistical significance for effect at the highest concentration tested (28%). Suppression of t-BOOH induced mutagenesis was correlated with the observed scavenging activity.
Highlights
There is increasing evidence that oxidative stress, defined as an imbalance between levels of various oxidant molecules and antioxidants, leads to many biochemical changes and serious disorders in the human organism
If compared with oil yields of plants originating from other Mediterranean countries 27–29, like Greece and Spain, myrtle plants from Montenegro could be characterized as being very rich in essential oils
According to the ratio of other compounds we found our samples similar to those reported from Greece 27, with the exceptions of considerable amounts of limonene found in our samples
Summary
There is increasing evidence that oxidative stress, defined as an imbalance between levels of various oxidant molecules and antioxidants, leads to many biochemical changes and serious disorders in the human organism. Many essential oils and their constituents have recently been qualified as natural antioxidants and proposed as potential substitutes for the synthetic ones 15–18. Due to their radical scavenging properties, antioxidants are believed to be directly antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic 14,19. One of the mechanisms of their antimutagenic properties is inactivation of mutagens by the direct scavenging of reactive species (ROS) produced either by mutagens or by activation of cell antioxidant enzymes 14,20,21]. No reports on the comparative antioxidant and antimutagenic activity of myrtle essential oil have been available up to this moment. In the present study screening of antimutagenicity via the radical scavenging properties of myrtle (M. communis) essential oil (EO) from Montenegro has been continued. Esherichia coli WP2 IC185 and its oxyR mutant IC202 strain that is deficient in the induction of antioxidant enzymes 33
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