Toxicity of essential oil ofSatureja khuzistanica:In vitrocytotoxicity and anti-microbial activity

Abstract

In nature, essential oils play an important role in the protection of the plants by exerting anti-bacterial, -viral, -fungal, -oxidative, -genotoxic, and free radical scavenging properties, as well as in some cases acting as insecticides. Several Satureja species are used in traditional medicine due to recognized therapeutic properties, namely anti-microbial and cytotoxic activities. The purpose of the present work was to determine the biologic activity of the essential oil of S. khuzistanica Jamzad (Lamiaceae) against four human cancer cell lines, as well as its inhibitory effects against a wide array (i.e. n = 11) of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The essential oil was isolated by hydro-distillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Carvacrol (92.87%) and limonene (1.2%) were found to be the main components of the isolated oil. Anti-microbial activity of the essential oil was assessed using a disc diffusion method; an MTT cytotoxicity assay was employed to test effects of the oil on each cancer cell line. The oil exhibited considerable anti-microbial activity against the majority of the tested bacteria and fungi. The test oil also significantly reduced cell viability of Vero, SW480, MCF7, and JET 3 cells in a dose-dependent manner, with the IC50 values calculated for each cell type being, respectively, 31.2, 62.5, 125, and 125 μg/ml. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the essential oil of S. khuzistanica and its major constituents have a potential for further use in anti-bacterial and anti-cancer applications, pending far more extensive testing of toxicities in normal (i.e. primary) cells.

Satureja montana L. Essential Oils: Chemical Profiles/Phytochemical Screening, Antimicrobial Activity and O/W NanoEmulsion Formulations

“…The results confirm the SEOs activity against multidrug bacterial strains. According with other studies [24,53,54], as reported in Table 7, MIC and MBC values ranged from 0.39 to 6.25 mg•mL −1 . Commercial SEOT showed the lowest MIC and MBC values towards Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.…”

A pharmacological and phytochemical overview onSatureja

“…Another plant species investigated fot its cytotoxic activity is S. khuzestanica (Yousefzadi et al, 2014). Essential oil of this plant significantly reduced cell viability of Vero, SW480, MCF7, and JET 3 cells in a dose-dependent manner; IC 50 values calculated for each cell types were 31.2, 62.5, 125, and 125 mg/mL.…”

In-Vitro Antimicrobial Activity and Chemical Composition of Satureja khuzestanica Jamzad Essential Oils Against Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

“…Nineteen compounds were presented among which carvacrol was the main component (92.87%) followed by limonene (1.2%) (12).…”

“…The essential oil of this plant has been reported for a number of biological activities, including: antibacterial, antifungal, anti-leishmanial, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antihyperlipidemic and antispasmodic properties (11,12). The antibacterial activity of S. khuzestanica essential oil has been shown against a number of bacteria including Grampositive food pathogens, some members of Enterobacteriaceae, as well as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13,14).…”