Chemical composition and in vitro biological activities of essential oil from Allochrusa gypsophiloides

摘要

Background:Allochrusa gypsophiloides Rgl(Caryophyllaceae)is the best known endemic saponin-bearing plant of Central Asia,being widely used in traditional medicine and different branches of industry.In traditional medicine,the decoction of the roots of this plant has been used as an expectorant for bronchitis,similar to other drugs with saponins.Methods:For the first time,the chemical composition of the volatile secondary metabolites obtained from the aerial parts of A.gypsophiloides was evaluated using GC-MS method.In vitro antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated using DPPH and ABTS assays.The cytotoxic activities were carried out by MTT assay.Results:A total of 59 components were identified in this species representing 89.8%of the whole oil.The A.gypsophiloides essential oil was rich in oxygenated monoterpenoids,whereas pulegone(32.9%),trans-p-menthan-3-one(6.2%),hexadecanoic acid(3.6%),trans-verbenol(3.2%),phytol(3.2%),2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanone(2.7%),isopiperitenon(2.1%)were predominant in the oil.The weak activity was found for the oil with IC50 values 456.4±5.39μg/ml for DPPH and 745.0±6.87μg/ml for ABTS assay.The essential oil showed moderate cytotoxic effects against prostate cancer(PC-3)(IC50:89.9±2.01μg/ml)and colon adenocarcinoma(HT-29)cells(IC50:43.6±2.38μg/ml).Conclusion:The cytotoxic activity of A.gypsophiloides essential oil against HT-29(colon)cancer cells is consistent with antitumor effects of some species from Allochrusa genus and their traditional use to treat cancer diseases.