In vitro Biological Activities of Seed Essential Oils from the Cameroonian Spices Afrostyrax lepidophyllusMildbr. and Scorodophloeus zenkeriHarms Rich in Sulfur‐Containing Compounds

Abstract

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the seeds of bush onion (Afrostyrax lepidophyllus) and tropical garlic tree (Scorodophloeus zenkeri), plants used as spices in the traditional African cuisine, was determined by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. Moreover, in vitro biological properties of the oils, namely, the cytotoxic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities, were investigated by the MTT, the DPPH(.) and ABTS(.+) scavenging, and the agar disc-diffusion methods, respectively. Both oils were composed mainly by S-containing compounds, accounting for 91.0-96.1% of the total oil compositions, which provided them the typical garlic- and onion-like odors of spices. The predominant compound in both oils, 2,4,5,7-tetrathiaoctane (1; 51.5-52.9%), was isolated by preparative TLC and structurally elucidated by (1) H- and (13) C-NMR data. The oils exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of human cancer cells, namely, T98G (human glioblastoma multiforme cell line), MDA-MB 231 (human breast adenocarcinoma cell line), A375 (human malignant melanoma cell line), and HCT116 (human colon carcinoma cell line) cells, and a good DPPH(.) - and ABTS(.+) -scavenging activity, while the antimicrobial effects were negligible. The volatile compositions of A. lepidophyllus and S. zenkeri oils supported their use as odorous spices. The significant inhibition activities detected make these oils worthy of further investigation as promising chemopreventive agents to be exploited in the African pharmaceutical market.

Organic and Mineral Composition of Seeds of Afrostyrax lepidophyllus Mildbr. and Evaluation of ROS Inhibition and Cytotoxicity of Isolated Compounds

“…The barks of this plant are used in food sauces, condiments, spices and flavorings. Medicinally it is used in treating venereal diseases, febrifuges, cough, worms, constipation, hernia, gastro-enteric diseases, convulsions, laxative, mouthwash and snake bites [1,3]. This plant has been shown to possess antioxidant activity, estrogenic properties, insecticidal and toxic effects on some insects [4][5][6].…”

“…The volatile components can be characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry [7]. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of seed oils as well as tree barks of this plant showed the presence of sulfur containing compounds mainly thio-ethers with 2,4,5,7-tetrathiaoctane as major component, monoterpene hydrocarbons and phenylpropanoids amongst others [3,8]. Afroastyrax lepidophyllus has also been shown to contain polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, saponins, steroids, aromatic substances, alkaloids, afrostyraxides and anthocyanins [1,2,9].…”

Citrus aurantium L. bloom essential oil nanoemulsion: Synthesis, characterization, cytotoxicity, and its potential health impacts on mice

“…Cas‐3 is responsible for some apoptotic hallmarks including DNA fragmentation and cell vesiculation (Porter & Janicke, 1999). In this regard, there are various plant essential oils displaying cytotoxic and anticancer activities such as S. zenkeri , Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad, Cedrelopsis grevei , Solanium spirale Roxb, Casearia sylvestris , and A. lepidophyllus , which have been approved to increasing the expression of Cas3 and other cell death effector genes in breast cancer cells (Afoulous et al, 2013; Bou et al, 2013; Fogang et al, 2014; Keawsa‐Ard, Liawruangrath, Liawruangrath, Teerawutgulrag, & Pyne, 2012; Yousefzadi et al, 2014).…”

Traditional herbal remedies and dietary spices from Cameroon as novel sources of larvicides against filariasis mosquitoes?

“…Thus, screening botanicals for their mosquitocidal and repellent activity may offer effective and eco-friendly tools in the fight against mosquitoes (Amer and Mehlhorn 2006a, b, c, d;Benelli 2015b;Pavela 2015a;. Therefore, as part of our continuous search for bioactivity of volatile components from Cameroonian spices (Fogang et al 2012;Fogang et al 2014;Woguem et al 2014), in this research we analysed the chemical composition of A. daniellii, D. cinerea and E. giganteus essential oils and we evaluated their larvicidal potential against larvae of the filariasis and West Nile vector Cx. quinquefasciatus.…”