Cancer Letters

Cancer Letters

Volume 235, Issue 1, 8 April 2006, Pages 114-120
Cancer Letters

Anti-proliferative activity of essential oil extracted from Thai medicinal plants on KB and P388 cell lines

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2005.04.021Get rights and content

Abstract

Anti-proliferative activity of essential oil from 17 Thai medicinal plants on human mouth epidermal carcinoma (KB) and murine leukemia (P388) cell lines using MTT assay were investigated. An amount of 1×104 cells/well of KB cell line and 1×105 cells/well of P388 cell line were treated with the oil samples at different concentrations ranging from 0.019 to 4.962 mg/ml. In KB cell line, Guava (Psidium guajava L.) leaf oil showed the highest anti-proliferative activity with the IC50 value of 0.0379 mg/ml (4.37 times more potent than vincristine) whereas Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) oil gave the highest anti-proliferative activity with the IC50 value of 0.0362 mg/ml (12.7 times less potent than 5-FU) in P388 cell line. The results demonstrated the potential of essential oil from Thai medicinal plants for cancer treatment.

Introduction

Plants from tropical regions are considered to be one of the potential sources for the screening of anticancer agents. Thai people have been using diverse herbs, vegetables and fruits for flavors, spices and condiments in cuisine. Several of these items have been used as traditional medicines. Several essential oils have been exported as fragrances and flavors, for example, Citronella (Cymbopogon nadus L.) oil, Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum L.) oil and Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) oil. Some plant extracts have potential to be developed as drugs and neutraceuticals. Potent inhibitors of tumor promoter-induced EBV activation have been purified from methanol extracts of Boesenbergia pandurata and Languas galanga (Zingiberaceae) and Citrus hystrix (Rutaceae) [1], [2], [3]. The curcuma extract has a lowering effect on blood lipid peroxide, lipoprotein peroxide and fibrinogen [4]. It is useful as an anti-artherogenic agent in conditions that are accompanied by a marked increase in the level of blood lipid peroxidation. These conditions include myocardial infarction [5], diabetes [6] and dislipidemias in post-menopause women [7]. Many Thai medicinal plants remain to be assessed for possible immunomodulating and cytotoxic effects. Several Thai edible plants such as Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus D.C.), Holy Basil (O. sanctum) and Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) possess anti-tumor activity [3]. Among these plants, B. pandurata, L. galanga and C. hystrix or ‘Krachai’, ‘Khaa’, and ‘Ma-krud’ in Thai, respectively, have been found to contain strong bioactive compounds. In this study, 17 essential oil extracted from Thai medicinal plants were tested for cytotoxic effect on human mouth epidermal carcinoma (KB) and murine leukemia (P388) cell lines using MTT assay.

Section snippets

Materials

Seventeen essential oil samples prepared by steam distillation method were kindly provided by Thai-China Flavors and Fragrances Industry Co. Ltd (TCFF, Ayutthaya, Thailand). The essential oil were extracted from Holy Basil (O. sanctum L.), Lemon Grass (C. citratus (DC ex Nees) Stapf.), Lesser Galanga (Alpinia officinarum), Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia P.), Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides), Plai (Zingiber montanum), Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.), Citronella Grass (Cymbopogon nardus (L.)

Results

MTT assay, a simple and reliable technique, which measures cell viability can be used for screening of anti-proliferative agents. Fig. 1 (KB cell line) and Fig. 2 (P388 cell line) presented the plot of cytotoxicity (%) versus concentrations of oil samples. Almost all of the oil samples showed cytotoxic effect on the two cell lines with dose dependent pattern. Table 1 presented the IC50 values determined from the graphs of the oil and the anticancer drugs on KB and P388 cell lines. Guava leaf

Discussion

Sweet Basil and Hairy Basil have been used in Thai traditional medicine and many Thai dishes. Essential oil of many species in the Lamiaceae family are composed of mono- and sesquiterpenes. Ocimum spp. contain essential oil based primarily on monoterpene derivatives such as camphor, limonene, thymol, citral, geraniol, and linalool [10], [11], [12], [13]. Sweet Basil oil possess antifungal, insect-repelling and toxic activities [14]. The phenolic compounds and flavonoids such as cinnamic acid,

Acknowledgements

We thank to the Thai-China Flavors & Fragrances Industry Co. Ltd (TCFF, Ayutthaya, Thailand) for providing the essential oil samples.

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