Chemical composition ofSchinus molleessential oil and its cytotoxic activity on tumour cell lines

Abstract

The leaf essential oil hydrodistilled from Schinus molle grown in Costa Rica was characterised in terms of its chemical composition, antioxidant activity, ability to induce cytotoxicity and the mechanism of cell death involved in the process. As a result, 42 constituents, accounting for 97.2% of the total oil, were identified. The major constituents of the oil were beta-pinene and alpha-pinene. The antioxidant activity showed an IC(50) of 36.3 microg mL(-1). The essential oil was cytotoxic in several cell lines, showing that it is more effective on breast carcinoma and leukemic cell lines. The LD(50) for cytotoxicity at 48 h in K562 corresponded to 78.7 microg mL(-1), which was very similar to the LD(50) obtained when apoptosis was measured. The essential oil did not induce significant necrosis up to 200 microg mL(-1), which together with the former results indicate that apoptosis is the main mechanism of toxicity induced by S. molle essential oil in this cell line. In conclusion, the essential oil tested was weak antioxidant and induced cytotoxicity in different cell types by a mechanism related to apoptosis. It would be interesting to elucidate the role that different components of the oil play in the effect observed here, since some of them could have potential anti-tumoural effects, either alone or in combination.

Essential oils fromSchinus terebinthifoliusleaves – chemical composition andin vitrocytotoxicity evaluation

“…Based on some evidence that extracts (Ruffa et al, 2002) and essential oils (Díaz et al, 2008) from Schinus species showed in vitro cytotoxicity effects, the obtained crude oil from leaves of S. terebinthifolius was thus evaluated against five different tumoral cell lineages. Dose-response curves were generated and IC 50 values were calculated for this active oil against five cell lines (B16F10-Nex2, A2058, HeLa, MCF7 and HL-60), as shown in Table 2.…”

Essential oils and their constituents as skin penetration enhancer for transdermal drug delivery: a review

“…[89] On the other hand, there are numerous studies showing the toxicity of essential oils and active components of essential oils, for example, origanum essential oil exhibited high levels of cytotoxicity against four permanent animal cell lines including two derived from human cancers, [90] Melissa officinalis essential oil exhibited cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines (A549, MCF-7, Caco-2, HL-60, K562) and a mouse cell line (B16F10), [91] Schinus molle essential oil was cytotoxic on breast carcinoma and leukemic cell lines by a mechanism related to apoptosis. [92] Transdermal systemic toxicity of permeation enhancers: essential oils and their compounds Toxicity of essential oils and their active constituents to a large extent depends on their concentration and chemical structure. Therefore, fairly toxicological and applicable studies let get a clear answer about their safety and use as enhancers for drug permeation through the skin.…”

Antimicrobial activity and chemical constituents of essential oils and oleoresins extracted from eight pepper species

“…GOFF & KLEE (2006) have proposed that spices can be used to improve food preservation. In DIAZ et al (2008) the essential oil of the leaf of Schinus molle was constituted mainly by the monoterpenoids a-and b-pinene. The essential oil studied showed citotoxity against Breast carcinoma cell line and also against Leukemic cell line K562 (DIAZ et al, 2008).…”

“…In DIAZ et al (2008) the essential oil of the leaf of Schinus molle was constituted mainly by the monoterpenoids a-and b-pinene. The essential oil studied showed citotoxity against Breast carcinoma cell line and also against Leukemic cell line K562 (DIAZ et al, 2008). Capsaicin is the predominant compound in pungent peppers of Capsicun genera and is known to induce depletion of substance P and other neuropeptides from sensory nerve terminals (PALEVITCH & CRAKER, 1995).…”