Cytotoxic Activity of Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. Leaves Essential Oil in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

<strong>Background and objectives:</strong> <em>Juniperus excelsa</em> is a flowering plant that has been applied as traditional medicine for treatment of various disorders such as dysmenorrhea, bronchitis and colds, jaundice and tuberculosis. The aims of the present study we...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mahnaz Khanavi, Aysheh Enayati, Mohammad Reza Shams Ardekani, Tahmineh Akbarzadeh, Elahe Karimpour Razkenari, Mahdieh Eftekhari*
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Iranian Society of Pharmacognosy 2019-04-01
Series:Research Journal of Pharmacognosy
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Online Access:http://www.rjpharmacognosy.ir/article_84313_e18d435932a708c8c05f9be38c2c2ad8.pdf
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Summary:<strong>Background and objectives:</strong> <em>Juniperus excelsa</em> is a flowering plant that has been applied as traditional medicine for treatment of various disorders such as dysmenorrhea, bronchitis and colds, jaundice and tuberculosis. The aims of the present study were analyzing <em>J. excelsa</em> essential oil and investigation of its cytotoxic activity on three breast cancer cell lines.  <strong>Methods: </strong> <em>Juniperus excelsa</em> leaves were collected from Dena mountains, located in the south-west of Iran. The composition of the essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Cytotoxic activity was evaluated using MTT assay.   <strong>Results: </strong>Forty-one components, related to 99.83% of the total oil, were identified. Monoterpene hydrocarbons represented the major components of the volatile oil while α-pinene (73.27%) was the major component. The essential oil showed significant cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 (IC<sub>50</sub>=0.084 µg/mL), MDA-MB-231 (IC<sub>50</sub>=0.090 µg/mL) and T-47D (IC<sub>50</sub>=0.124 µg/mL). <strong> Conclusion:</strong> The analysis of <em>J. excelsa </em>oil revealed α-pinene and cedrol as the main compounds of the volatile oil that could justifiy its remarkable cytotoxic effect against the tested cell lines.
ISSN:2345-4458
2345-5977