Ocimum viride (family: Lamiaceae) is a medicinally important aromatic plant that grows widely in north western Himalayan range of Indian subcontinent. Essentials oils (EOs) and purified aromatic compounds derived from plants of genus Ocimum have long been used in traditional system of medicine to treat various chronic disorders. In this study we made an attempt to assess the chemical composition of essential oil (EO) obtained from Ocimum viride for potential antimicrobial and anticancer properties. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis revealed that EOs of aerial parts (leaves) of Ocimum viride contain high amounts of oxygenated monoterpenes, thymol and gamma terpinene. Notably, thymol (~50%) and γ-terpinene (~18%) were identified as the most abundant components of the oil. EOs showed most prominent antibacterial effect against Bacillus subtilis and in silico molecular docking analyses of antibacterial action against bacterial cell wall of Bacillus subtilis showed interaction of thymol with Sec A protein of Bacillus subtilis (binding energy of -15 kcal/mol) with active site Lys284, Trp275, Leu269, Arg19, Glu277, pro270. While, in vitro cytotoxic effect of EO against six human cancer cell lines showed maximum effect with IC 50 value of ~0.034 ± 0.001μL/ mL against HT-29 colon cancer cell line. DNA fragmentation analysis and cell cycle analysis revealed that EO inhibits the growth of HT-29 colon cancer cells probably through induction of unrepairable DNA damage and subsequent cell death. Taken together, our results indicate that EO possesses potent antimicrobial and anticancer properties, and may find applications in bacterial growth inhibition and cancer therapeutics.
Background and objective: Melaleuca viminalis (syn. Callistemon viminalis, red bottle brush) and Melaleuca armillaris (white Bottle brush) belong to the family Myrtaceae and are reported for their traditional medicinal properties. The objective of this study was to explore and compare the chemical compositions and biological properties of these two species.Methods: Sequential extraction and hydro-distillation methods were employed to extract essential oils for further analysis of chemical composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The biological potential as antioxidants was investigated for both species by assessing 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (commonly known as DPPH) scavenging activity and by use of ferric iron reducing assay. The biological potential as antibacterials was investigated by agar well diffusion assay. The in vitro cytotoxicity analysis was carried out by MTT assay.Results: GC-MS analysis of the essential oil of Melaleuca viminalis indicated the presence of eucalyptol as the principal chemical constituent, while that of Melaleuca armillaris indicated the presence of methyl eugenol. Comparative studies indicated that Melaleuca viminalis had higher potential for antioxidant and antibacterial activities than Melaleuca armillaris. Also, the essential oil of Melaleuca viminalis exhibited in vitro cytotoxicity against the cancer cell lines of A549 (lung; IC 50 24.12 µg/mL), HCT-116 (colon; IC 50 21.5 µg/mL) and T47D (breast; IC 50 21.78 µg/mL), in comparison to Melaleuca armillaris for which cytotoxicity was only observed against theA549 (IC 50 10.2 µg/mL) lung cancer cell line. Conclusions:The present findings suggest that essential oil of Melaleuca viminalis (leaves) hold potential for future application in various medical procedures. However, the presence of methyl eugenol in Melaleuca armillaris raises concern of its being acarcinogenic compound, so further detailed toxicological studies are required to validate its therapeutic potential.
Ocimum viride Willd. (family: Lamiaceae) is a member of the genus Ocimum, an aromatic annual and perennial herb with numerous culinary, horticultural and ethno-medicinal benefits. This study aims to explore the chemical properties of leaf essential oil (EO) from Ocimum viride and to evaluate its antimicrobial and anticancer potential. Main methods: Characterization of essential oil was done by GCMS, antimicrobial by agar well diffusion methods, in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation by MTT assay, cell death analysis was done by DNA fragmentation, cell cycle analysis, nuclear morphology analysis and molecular docking studies were also conducted. Key findings: Essential oil from aerial parts (leaf) of Ocimum viride revealed high content of oxygenated monoterpenes, notably thymol (~50%) and γ-terpinene (~18%). Further, antibacterial analysis showed that among all the evaluated bacterial species EO showed highest sensitivity against the Bacillus subtilis and was also found most effective against HT-29 colon cancer cell line with IC50 value of~0.034 AE 0.001μL/mL. Mechanistic studies revealed that EO inhibits the growth of HT-29 colon cancer cells probably through induction of irreparable DNA damage leading to subsequent cell death in apoptotic manner. Molecular docking analysis also supports the in vitro studies conducted by indicating the interaction of thymol with Sec A protein of Bacillus subtilis cell wall as well as with Beclin protein responsible for apoptotic corpse clearance. Significance: Taken together, our results indicate that EO possesses potent antimicrobial and anticancer properties, and may find applications as effective antibacterial and in cancer therapeutics.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.