Essential Oil from Arnica Montana L. Achenes: Chemical Characteristics and Anticancer Activity

Abstract

Mountain arnica Arnica montana L. is a source of several metabolite classes with diverse biological activities. The chemical composition of essential oil and its major volatile components in arnica may vary depending on the geographical region, environmental factors, and plant organ. The objective of this study was to characterize the chemical composition of essential oil derived from A. montana achenes and to investigate its effect on induction of apoptosis and autophagy in human anaplastic astrocytoma MOGGCCM and glioblastoma multiforme T98G cell lines. The chemical composition of essential oil extracted from the achenes was examined with the use of Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry GC-MS. Only 16 components of the essential oil obtained from the achenes of 3-year-old plants and 18 components in the essential oil obtained from the achenes of 4-year-old plants constituted ca. 94.14% and 96.38% of the total EO content, respectively. The main components in the EO from the arnica achenes were 2,5-dimethoxy-p-cymene (39.54 and 44.65%), cumene (13.24 and 10.71%), thymol methyl ether (8.66 and 8.63%), 2,6-diisopropylanisole (8.55 and 8.41%), decanal (7.31 and 6.28%), and 1,2,2,3-tetramethylcyclopent-3-enol (4.33 and 2.94%) in the 3- and 4-year-old plants, respectively. The essential oils were found to exert an anticancer effect by induction of cell death in anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme cells. The induction of apoptosis at a level of 25.7–32.7% facilitates the use of this secondary metabolite in further studies focused on the development of glioma therapy in the future. Probably, this component plays a key role in the anticancer activity against the MOGGCCM and T98G cell lines. The present study is the first report on the composition and anticancer activities of essential oil from A. montana achenes, and further studies are required to explore its potential for future medicinal purposes.

Chemical Characteristics and Anticancer Activity of Essential Oil from Arnica Montana L. Rhizomes and Roots

“…The yields of volatile oils ranged between 2.18% and 3.24%, and there was no significant variation depending on the year of harvest. It is puzzling that the EO profiles of the studied rhizomes and roots are more similar to the EO profile of achenes of Arnica originating from the same population [10] than to the EO profile of rhizomes and roots presented by Weremczuk-Jeżyna [26] and Danila [41]. The intraspecific variability of EO components was noted in other plant species from the family Asteraceae, such as Artemisia absinthium [6], and Helichrysum italicum [7].…”

“…However, there is no information on the biological activity of these oils. Recently, another new source of EOs from Arnica montana L. achenes and their chemical characteristics have been reported [10]. This study is the first report on the anticancer activities of essential oil from A. montana achenes and generally the only example of studies of the biological activity of Arnica EOs so far.…”

“…Studies conducted lately have shown that EOs from achenes exert an anticancer effect by induction of cell death in anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme cells [10]. This facilitates the use of this secondary metabolite in further studies that will contribute to development of glioma therapy in the future.…”

“…Researchers' attention is focused on the chemical characteristic of essential oils (Eos) derived from plants and the wide range of their biological properties, including antioxidant, The parts of Arnica plants contain a wide range of secondary metabolites. Essential oils are located in flower heads, rhizomes, roots, and achenes [9,10,15,21,26,40]. The investigations of EOs contained in the flower heads of different European A. montana populations have shown differences in the chemical profile of EOs.…”

Proapoptotic Activity of Achillea membranacea Essential Oil and Its Major Constituent 1,8-Cineole against A2780 Ovarian Cancer Cells

“…Medicinal plants and their constituents have countless biological properties, based mainly on their ability to interact with key enzymes linked to several ailments, including: cancer, diabetes, inflammation, hypertension and Alzheimer's disease [1][2][3][4][5]. Recently, EOs have caught the attention of scientists due to their ability to prevent and treat cancer, as well as their state-of-the-art application in the most advanced and sophisticated technologies in nanoscience [6][7][8].…”