Essential Oils and Extracts of Juniperus macrocarpa Sm. and Juniperus oxycedrus L.: Comparative Phytochemical Composition and Anti-Proliferative and Antioxidant Activities

Abstract

In this work, we conducted a comparative phytochemical, chemotaxonomic, and biological study of essential oils (EOs) and extracts (ethyl acetate and methanol) obtained from the leaves of Juniperus macrocarpa and J. oxycedrus. The dominant compounds of J. macrocarpa EO, analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), are α-pinene, sabinene, manoyl oxide, and germacrene D, whereas α-pinene, limonene, (Z,E)-farnesol, β-pinene, and γ-cadinene are the most representative volatiles of J. oxycedrus EOs. A multivariate analysis of EOs, included a selection of literature data comparing our samples to samples of J. oxycedrus/macrocarpa/deltoides from the Mediterranean area, was performed. As evident by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses, apigenin, (-)-epicatechin, and luteolin were abundant in J. oxycedrus extracts, while gallic acid, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, and protocatechuic acid were the dominant constituents of J. macrocarpa extracts. EOs and extracts have been investigated for their potential antioxidant properties and anti-proliferative activity against lung adenocarcinoma (A549), breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), and lung large cell carcinoma (COR-L23) human cell lines. The methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of J. oxycedrus exerted the most valuable antioxidant activity and exhibited the most promising activity against the COR-L23 cell line with an IC50 of 26.0 and 39.1 μg/mL, respectively, lower than that obtained with the positive control (IC50 of 45.5 μg/mL). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report highlighting the anti-proliferative activity of J. oxycedrus and J. macrocarpa extracts against this lung cancer cell line. Our results indicate that J. oxycedrus may be considered a source of natural compounds with antioxidant and anti-proliferative effects that could be suitable for future applications.

Phytochemical Characterization and Antibacterial Activity of Albanian Juniperus communis and Juniperus oxycedrus Berries and Needle Leaves Extracts

“…Belov et al [ 14 ] reported an extraction yield of 8.79 ± 0.15% from the ethanolic ultrasound-assisted maceration of J. communis berries. Additionally, Meringolo et al [ 30 ] used the methanolic extraction of J. macrocarpa and J. oxycedrus needle leaves and reported an extraction yield of 10.4% and 10.8%, respectively. Orhan et al [ 31 ], reported the ethanolic extraction from different juniper species ( J. oxycedrus subs.…”

“…From the reported HPLC-DAD results in the work of Meringolo et al [ 30 ], in the methanolic extract of J. oxycedrus needle leaves, it was found that luteolin (329.6 ± 8.7 µg/g extract), syringic acid (26.71 ± 0.4 µg/g extract), and vanillic acid (65.3 ± 0.8 µg/g extract) showed a higher content when compared with JoxL. These compounds showed a lower content of 5.35 ± 0.66 µg/g extract, 8.62 ± 0.02 µg/g extract, and 23.21 ± 0.16 µg/g extract for luteolin, syringic acid, and vanillic acid, respectively.…”

Anticancer activities of Saudi Juniperus procera extracts and their effects on the regulatory mechanisms in controlling growth of human cancerous cells

“…Juniperus Sabina fruit extract exhibited cytotoxic activity against Hela and MDA-MB-468 cells 34 . More recently, a study by 35 has shed light on the anti-cancer activity of J. oxycedrus and extracts of J. macrocarpa against breast and lung cancer cell lines. According to our results, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and inhibition of cell migration were mediated by four mechanisms.…”

Iridoid- and flavonoid-enriched fractions ofCornus sanguineaandCornus masexert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and inhibit key enzymes in the treatment of metabolic disorders

“…The antioxidant activity was assessed in vitro using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), ferric reducing activity power (FRAP), and β-carotene bleaching assays accordingly to previously described methods. 11 For the DPPH test, ethanolic solutions of Cornus extracts at concentrations in the range of 1–1000 μg mL −1 and DPPH ethanol solution were prepared. The mixture was left in the dark for 30 min at room temperature.…”