CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, CYTOTOXICITY AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM Vitex agnus-castus FRUITS, GROWING IN BULGARIA

摘要

Fruit essential oils from Vitex agnus-cactus L. growing in Bulgaria were obtained by water distillation and were analysed by gas chromatography. Thirty-five components were identified in a sample isolated from fruit material from Southern Bulgaria, with 1% oil content and main constituents (up to 3%): 1.8-cineole (20.39%), alpha-pinene (15.12%), beta-pinene (9.40%), (Z)-beta-farnesene (6.88%), bicyclogermacrene (6.08%), beta-caryophyllene (5.27%) and terpinyl acetate (4.13%). Thirty-three components were identified in the essential oil sample from Northern Bulgaria, with 0.5% oil and main constituents: (Z)-beta-farnesene (16.38%), bicyclogermacrene (12.26%), limonene (7.51%), alpha-pinene (6.24%), germacrene (4.12%), eicosane (4.03%), heneicosane (3.97%), beta-pinene (3.99 %) and nonadecane (3.66%). The cytotoxicity of the essential oil from Southern Bulgaria against three human adenocarcinoma cell line LS180, cervical adenocarcinoma cells, lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (LS180, HeLa, A549) as well as normal amniotic cell line were investigated. V. agnus-castus fruit essential oil exhibited cytotoxic effects against all four tested cell lines. HeLa cell line showed the strongest sensitivity, suggesting a potential use of Vitex agnus-castus fruit essential oil as a chemotherapy agent for cervical cancer. The essential oil antioxidant activity measured by ABTS assay showed better values than those obtained with the DPPH assay.