Abstract
A rapid, simple, and sensitive gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method was established and validated for simultaneous determination of four volatile compounds, namely curzerene, methoxyfuranodiene, β-elemene, and α-pinene in rat plasma samples after oral administration of the resin extract of Commiphora myrrh using limonene as an internal standard (IS). Liquid-liquid extraction using hexane and ethyl acetate (1:1) mixture as an extracting agent was used for the samples extraction procedure. The GC–MS system was operated under selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode using Perkin Elmer Elite 5MS column (30 m × 0.25 mm × 0.25 µm film thickness). Specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, extraction recovery, and stability were used to validate the developed method. The assay showed good linearity (r2 ≥ 0.998), and the lowest limits of quantification (LLOQ) were 3.97–21.38 ng/mL for the four analytes. This assay was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of the four volatile compounds in rat plasma. The antiproliferative activity of these volatile compounds was evaluated against lung carcinoma (A549) and colon (LoVo) cell lines, were each compound caused variable inhibition on cells proliferation and methoxyfuranodiene exerted the strong antiproliferative activity against both cell line according to IC50 values.
Highlights
Commiphora myrrha (Nees) Engl. is a medicinal plant belonging to the genus Commiphora (Burseraceae family) and mainly grows in Yemen and the southern regions of Saudi Arabia [1,2]
Curzerene has been verified that it has primarily responsible for the analgesic activity of myrrh [3]. methoxyfuranodiene was found that it has antioxidant and anti-angiogenic effects [4,18]. β-Elemene was widely used for removing blood stasis and it has an anti-tumor effect [19,20,21]. α-Pinene has a wide range of reported pharmacological activities, including antibacterial, anticoagulant, antitumor, antimicrobial, antimalarial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-Leishmania, and analgesic effects [22]
The results showed that curzerene and methoxyfuranodiene were absorbed and rapidly after oral administration of C. myrrh resin extract, and they achieved maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) after 1 h
Summary
Commiphora myrrha (Nees) Engl. is a medicinal plant belonging to the genus Commiphora (Burseraceae family) and mainly grows in Yemen and the southern regions of Saudi Arabia [1,2]. The volatile constituents of myrrh were identified [11,12,13] Among these volatile constituents, curzerene, methoxyfuranodiene, β-elemene and α-pinene are the key bioactive compounds [1,11,14,15,16,17], and primarily responsible for a wide range of reported pharmacological activities of myrrh. Curzerene has been verified that it has primarily responsible for the analgesic activity of myrrh [3]. Β-Elemene was widely used for removing blood stasis and it has an anti-tumor effect [19,20,21]. Α-Pinene has a wide range of reported pharmacological activities, including antibacterial, anticoagulant, antitumor, antimicrobial, antimalarial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-Leishmania, and analgesic effects [22] Curzerene has been verified that it has primarily responsible for the analgesic activity of myrrh [3]. methoxyfuranodiene was found that it has antioxidant and anti-angiogenic effects [4,18]. β-Elemene was widely used for removing blood stasis and it has an anti-tumor effect [19,20,21]. α-Pinene has a wide range of reported pharmacological activities, including antibacterial, anticoagulant, antitumor, antimicrobial, antimalarial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-Leishmania, and analgesic effects [22]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
