In Vitro Pharmacological Screening of Essential Oils from Baccharis parvidentata and Lippia origanoides Growing in Brazil

Abstract

In this study, the in vitro antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities of essential oil from Baccharis parvidentata Malag. (EO-Bp) and Lippia origanoides Kunth (EO-Lo) were explored. The relevant effects were observed against the parasitic protozoans Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania amazonensis (ranging 0.6 to 39.7 µg/mL) and malignant MCF-7, MCF-7/HT, 22Rv1, and A431 cell lines (ranging 6.1 to 31.5 µg/mL). In parallel, EO-Bp showed better selective indexes in comparison with EO-Lo against peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c mice and MRC-5 cell line. In conclusion, EO-Lo is known to show a wide range of health benefits that could be added as another potential use of this oil with the current study. In the case of EO-Bp, the wide spectrum of its activities against protozoal parasites and malignant cells, as well as its selectivity in comparison with non-malignant cells, could suggest an interesting candidate for further tests as a new therapeutic alternative.

Honokiol inhibits the growth of hormone-resistant breast cancer cells: its promising effect in combination with metformin

“…Thus, the history of chemotherapy is only a few decades old, whereas the empirical experience of traditional medicine, including antitumor medicine, is much older. There is a strong belief that natural compounds occurring in plants play an important role in cancer treatment ( 5 6 7 8 ). Much attention has been paid to traditional Chinese medicine, which uses a rich source of biologically active agents such as phenolic acids, coumarins, flavonoids, stilbenes, tannins, and lignans.Lignans and neolignans are biosynthesized in plants through the oxidative coupling of phenylpropanoids ( 9 ).…”