Essential Oils of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus Stapf) Induces Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in A549 Lung Cancer Cells

Abstract

Essential oils were extracted from the culm and leaf of Cymbopogon citratus collected from different regions of Vietnam and analyzed using GC/MS. The results showed that citral is the major component accounting for 61.20%–76.46% of the essential oils. The citral content was higher in the essential oil obtained from the leaf than in that from the culm of lemongrass in all regions. In particular, camphene, valerianol, and epi-α-muurolol can be used to differentiate essential oils originating from leaves versus culms. The cytotoxic effects of the essential oils on various lung cancer cell lines were evaluated in the present study. All essential oils exhibited cytotoxicity in the tested cells. The Ha Loc leaf essential oil (HLL) exhibited the most potent effects on A549 and H1975 cells, with IC50 values of 1.73 ± 0.37 and 4.01 ± 0.30 μg/mL, respectively. The Hy Cuong leaf essential oil (HCL) showed the strongest effect on H1299 cells, with an IC50 value of 2.45 ± 0.21 μg/mL. The Kim Duc culm (KDC) essential oil exerted the strongest cytotoxic effects against H1650 cells, with an IC50 value of 4.86 ± 0.29 μg/mL. The HLL induced apoptosis and cycle arrest in A549 cells according to flow cytometric analysis and fluorescent nuclear staining assays. The western blot analysis indicated that HLL induced the apoptotic effect by altering the regulating proteins of the apoptosis process such as caspase-3, Bcl-2, and Bax. The data strongly suggested that the intrinsic pathway may play an important role in the apoptotic effects of HLL.

The Essential Oil of Cymbopogon citratus Stapt and Carvacrol: An Approach of the Antitumor Effect on 7,12-Dimethylbenz-[α]-anthracene (DMBA)-Induced Breast Cancer in Female Rats

“…The EOCc at the evaluated doses produced a reduction in the total number of tumors, a decrease in the frequency of tumors per group (44% less with the dose of 200 mg/kg/day), as well as in the average tumor volume and the cumulative tumor volume ( Table 2 , Figure 3 ); also, at the histological level, a decrease in the percentage of necrosis and mitosis was observed ( Figure 5 C–E). An in vitro study showed cytotoxicity of the EOCc on MCF-7 breast cancer cells [ 22 , 39 ]. It was also effective on LNCaP and PC-3 prostate cell lines, and on SF-767 glioblastoma cell lines, showing that the activity of the EOCc was statistically equal to its main component, citral [ 23 ].…”

“…Therefore, it is likely that the anti-tumor effect of the EOCc observed in our study could be due to the high content of citral in the sample. A study reported with EOCc and citral produced a decreased expression of Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 antiapoptotic factors, in turn, suppressed the proliferation/survival of small lung cancer cells (SCLC cells), [ 23 , 39 ] also decreased cell proliferation, increasing intracellular (reactive oxygen species) ROS, altering the potential of mitochondrial membrane, and initiating apoptosis in cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and ME-180 [ 40 ]. However, we did not test additional assays on breast cancer cell line to stablish any relationship between the antioxidant activity and breast cancer progression.…”

Antioxidant Effects of Turmeric Leaf Extract against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Stress In Vitro in Vero Cells and In Vivo in Zebrafish

“…Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is a specific cell death pathway characterized by morphological changes, such as chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, and the formation of apoptotic bodies [ 41 ]. The cell cycle is also associated with apoptosis; cell cycle arrest in the sub-G1 phase leads induces apoptosis via effects on various signaling molecules and regulatory factors [ 42 ]. In this study, we therefore investigated the effects of TLE on cell cycle arrest in the sub-G1 phase and the population of apoptotic bodies in H 2 O 2 -treated Vero cells.…”

Role of Herbal Teas in Regulating Cellular Homeostasis and Autophagy and Their Implications in Regulating Overall Health

“…In female Balb/c mice, essential oil administration showed a protective effect against N-methyl-N-nitrosurea-induced mammary carcinogenesis by inducing DNA damage in peripheral leucocytes [ 266 ]. In A549 lung cancer cells, essential oil of lemongrass induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by upregulating the expression of Bax [ 267 ].…”