Antitumoral and antioxidant effect of essential oils and in vitro antioxidant properties of essential oils and aqueous extracts from Salvia pisidica

The aim of the work was to investigate antitumoral effect of essential oils on cancer cells and their possible protective (antioxidant) effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity. Also, in vitro antioxidant properties of essential oils and aqueous extracts from wild form and cultivated form of Salvia pisidica were compared. We found out that essential oils from wild form (IC 128, and 85.17 μg /mL) and cultivated form (IC 115.00 and 74.83 μg/mL) differed in their antitumoral effects on Hep G2 and H1299 cells respectively. As a very important we consider the finding that both essentials oils significantly reduced the cytotoxicity induced by the strong oxidant in cancer cells. We assume that protective effect of essential oils on cancer cells against HO cytotoxicity can be accompanied by their antioxidant action. Antioxidant properties of essential oils and aqueous extract from wild and cultivated S. pisidica were determined by different test systems. In DPPH assay, the weakest radical scavenging activity was exhibited by the aqueous extract from wild form (66.55 ± 1.15 μg/mL). Similarly inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation of aqueous extract from wild and cultivated form (50.93% and 59.66%) was lower than essential oils. In the case of reducing power assay and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, a similar activity pattern was observed as given in the first two systems. Essential oils from wild and cultivated form had higher reducing power activity (EC; 100.99 ± 3.0 and 96.87 ± 3.15 μg/mL) and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (EC; 15.99 ± 0.95 and 13.01 ± 1.35 μg/mL) than aqueous extracts. © 2010 Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Wien.