Composition and antimicrobial activity of the volatile oil ofArtemisia kopetdaghensis Krasch., M.Pop. & Linecz ex Poljak from Iran

Analysis of the Essential Oils of Five Artemisia Species and Evaluation of their Cytotoxic and Proapoptotic Effects

BACKGROUND

In this study, the essential oil composition and cytotoxic activities of five Artemisia species were determined.

METHODS

The collected plants were water-distilled separately to obtain oils which were then subjected to gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry GC/MS analyses to identify their compositions. Cancer cells were exposed to different concentrations of samples and cell viability was measured using AlamarBlue® assay. Apoptotic cells were analyzed by propidium iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry.

RESULTS & CONCLUSION

To study the amount of pro-apoptotic proteins and the apoptosis mechanism, Western blot method was used. Although all samples were cytotoxic at the highest concentration, the oil of A. kulbadica showed the strongest activity among other plants. Carvacrol (IC50 21.11 μg/ml) had the most cytotoxic effects among other components. Carvacrol, 1,8-cineole and 4-terpineole caused an increase in the amount of Bax protein and cleaved peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) and caspase proteins in DU 145 cells.

Evaluation of Cytotoxicity and Antifertility Effect of Artemisia kopetdaghensis

To date, there is no report on safety of Artemisia Kopetdaghensis. This study aimed to determine the possible undesirable effects of A. Kopetdaghensis on reproduction of female rats. The pregnant rats were treated (i.p.) with vehicle or 200 and 400 mg/kg of A. Kopetdaghensis hydroalcoholic extract from the 2nd to 8th day of pregnancy. Then, number and weight of neonates, duration of pregnancy, and percent of dead fetuses were determined. Also, cytotoxicity of this plant was tested using fibroblast (L929) and ovary (Cho) cell lines. The A. Kopetdaghensis had no significant effect on duration of pregnancy, average number of neonates, and weight of neonates. However, administration of 200 and 400 mg/kg of the extract led to 30 and 44% abortion in animals, respectively. The extract at concentrations ≥200 μg/mL significantly (P < 0.001) inhibited the proliferation of L929 fibroblast cells. Regarding the Cho cells, the extract induced toxicity only at concentration of 800 μg/mL (P < 0.01). Our results showed that continuous consumption of A. Kopetdaghensis in pregnancy may increase the risk of abortion and also may have toxic effect on some cells.