Abstract: |
Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, affected by several factors
including oxidative stress; and although conventional synthetic medicines have been used to treat
cancer, they often result in various side effects. Consequently, there is a growing need for newer,
safer and more effective alternatives, such as natural plant products. Essential oils (EOs) are one
such alternative, offering a wide range of bioactivities, including antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant,
and anticancer properties. Accordingly, the objective of the present study was to investigate the
chemical composition, as well as the antioxidant and anticancer properties of the leaf essential oil of
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (CLLEO) belonging to the Cupressaceae family. Totally, 59 constituents were
identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. cis-Abienol, trans-ferruginol,
a-cadinol, d-muurolene and a-pinene were the major components. The in vitro cytotoxicity study
against human breast (MCF-7), colon (HCT-116), lung (A-549), hepatocellular (HepG-2) carcinoma
cells using MTT assay indicated a promising cytotoxic activity against all the tested cancer cells,
particularly HepG-2, with significant selectivity indices. CLLEO exhibited weak antioxidant activity
according to the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. In silico docking of these constituents against
the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) and caspase-8
using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software demonstrated good binding affinities of
the components with the active site of these targets. These findings suggested using CLLEO, or its
individual components, as a potentially viable therapeutic option for managing cancerous conditions.
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