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. 2020 Mar 12;25(6):1284.
doi: 10.3390/molecules25061284.

Chemical Characteristics and Anticancer Activity of Essential Oil from Arnica Montana L. Rhizomes and Roots

Piotr Sugier  1 , Joanna Jakubowicz-Gil  2 , Danuta Sugier  3 , Radosław Kowalski  4 , Urszula Gawlik-Dziki  5 , Barbara Kołodziej  3 , Dariusz Dziki  6
Affiliations

Chemical Characteristics and Anticancer Activity of Essential Oil from Arnica Montana L. Rhizomes and Roots

Piotr Sugier et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Arnica montana L. is a medicinal plant with diverse biological activities commonly used in pharmacy and cosmetics. The attributes of A. montana are mainly related to the concentration and chemical composition of essential oils (EOs). Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the chemical composition of EOs derived from A. montana rhizomes and roots taking into account the age of the plants and to investigate the effect of the analyzed EOs on induction of apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy in human glioblastoma multiforme T98G and anaplastic astrocytoma MOGGCCM cell lines. Rhizomes and roots of mountain arnica were harvested at the end of the third and fourth vegetation periods. The chemical composition of essential oils was determined with the GC-MS technique. Among the 37 components of the essential oil of A. montana, 2,5-dimethoxy-p-cymene (46.47%-60.31%), 2,6-diisopropylanisole (14.48%-23.10%), thymol methyl ether (5.31%-17.79%), p-methoxyheptanophenone (5.07%-9.65%), and α-isocomene (0.68%-2.87%), were detected in the rhizomes and roots of the three-year-old plants and in the rhizomes and roots of the four-year-old plants. The plant part (rhizome, root) and plant age can be determinants of the essential oil composition and, consequently, their biological activity. The induction of apoptosis (but not autophagy nor necrosis) at a level of 28.5%-32.3% is a promising result, for which 2,5-dimethoxy-p-cymene, 2,6-diisopropylanisole, thymol methyl ether, and p-methoxyheptanophenone are probably mainly responsible. The present study is the first report on the anticancer activities of essential oils from A. montana rhizomes and roots.

Keywords: Arnica montana L.; T98G and MOGGCCM cell lines; anticancer activity; essential oil; rhizomes; roots.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Arnica montana plants—3-year-old plantation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of selected essential oil (EO) compounds in A. montana rhizomes and roots.
Figure 3
Figure 3
PCA diagram grouping the essential oil samples from the rhizomes and roots of the 3-year-old mountain Arnica plants (EO-RH3, EO-RO3) and in the rhizomes and roots of the 4-year-old plants (EO-RH4, EO-RO4).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Level of apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy induction in glioblastoma multiforme T98G cells treated with the essential oil (concentration: 0, 0.5, 1, 2 μL/mL) from the rhizomes and roots of the 3-year-old mountain Arnica plants (EO-RH3, EO-RO3) and the rhizomes and roots of the 4-year-old plants (EO-RH4, EO-RO4). The values designated by the different letters are significantly different (p = 0.05). (Tukey-test, p < 0.05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Level of apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy induction in anaplastic astrocytoma MOGGCCM cells treated with the essential oil (concentration: 0, 0.5, 1, 2 μL/mL) from the rhizomes and roots of the 3-year-old mountain Arnica plants (EO-RH3, EO-RO3) and the rhizomes and roots of the 4-year-old plants (EO-RH4, EO-RO4). The values designated by the different letters are significantly different (p = 0.05). (Tukey-test, p < 0.05).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Level of apoptosis and autophagy induction in fibroblasts treated with the essential oil (concentration: 0, 0.5, 1, 2 μL/mL) from the rhizomes and roots of the 3-year-old mountain Arnica plants (EO-RH3, EO-RO3) and the rhizomes and roots of the 4-year-old plants (EO-RH4, EO-RO4).
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