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. 2020 Aug 6;9(8):1000.
doi: 10.3390/plants9081000.

Chamazulene-Rich Artemisia arborescens Essential Oils Affect the Cell Growth of Human Melanoma Cells

Alessandra Russo  1 , Maurizio Bruno  2   3 , Rosanna Avola  4 , Venera Cardile  4 , Daniela Rigano  5
Affiliations

Chamazulene-Rich Artemisia arborescens Essential Oils Affect the Cell Growth of Human Melanoma Cells

Alessandra Russo et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Artemisia arborescens is an aromatic shrub whose essential oils are considered a potential source of molecules with industrial and pharmaceutical interest. The chemical profile of A. arborescens essential oils (EOs) was shown to be quite variable and various chemotypes have been identified. In this study, we compared the EOs composition of A. arborescens leaves and flowers collected from four different locations in Sicily. The EOs were assayed for their antiproliferative activity against A375 human malignant melanoma cells, also testing cell viability and cell membrane integrity. The evaluation of DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activity assay was employed for the detection of apoptosis. The expression of Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-9, PTEN (Phosphatase and tensin homolog), Hsp70 (Heat Shock Protein 70 kilodaltons) and SOD (superoxide dismutase) proteins was evaluated by Western blot analysis. The levels of ROS and GSH were also analyzed. Results show that EOs presented significant differences in their composition, yield, and cytotoxic activity depending on the collection site. The chamazulene/camphor-rich EOs from plants collected in Acqua Calda (Lipari) resulted particularly active on melanoma cancer cells (IC50 values of 6.7 and 4.5 µg/mL), being able to trigger apoptotic death probably interfering with endogenous defense mechanisms. These oils may be considered as a natural resource of chamazulene, containing this compound up to 63%.

Keywords: Artemisia arborescens; antiproliferative activity; camphor; chamazulene; essential oil; melanoma cancer cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no financial or other conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cell growth of normal human non-immortalized buccal fibroblast cells (BFC) treated with essential oils (F1, L1, F2, L2, F3, L3, F4, L4) at 25 µg/mL concentration. * Significant vs. control untreated cells (p < 0.001).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Caspase-3 activity in A375 cells treated for 72 h with essential oils F4 and L4. Hydrogen peroxide was used as positive control. * Significant vs. control untreated cells (p < 0.001).
Figure 3
Figure 3
LDH release in A375 cells treated with essential oils F4 and L4 for 72 h. Hydrogen peroxide was used as a positive control. * Significant vs. control untreated cells (p < 0.001).
Figure 4
Figure 4
COMET assay of genomic DNA in A375 cancer cells treated with essential oils F4 and L4 for 72 h. Hydrogen peroxide was used as positive control. TMOM= tail moment expressed as the product of TD (distance between head and tail) and TDNA. * Significant vs. control untreated cells (p < 0.001).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Levels of caspase 3, Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-9 proteins in A375 cells untreated and treated with essential oils F4 and L4 for 72 h. Values are expressed as arbitrary densitometric units (A.D.U.) corresponding to signal intensity present on the autoradiography of Western blots. A) Representative blots of control and treated cells are reported. * Significant vs. control untreated cells (p < 0.001).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Levels of Hsp70 (Heat Shock Protein 70 kilodaltons), PTEN (Phosphatase and tensin homolog) and SOD (superoxide dismutase)proteins in A375 cells treated with essential oils F4 and L4 for 72 h. Values are expressed as arbitrary densitometric units (A.D.U.) corresponding to signal intensity present on the autoradiography of Western blots. A) Representative blots of control and treated cells are reported. * Significant vs. control untreated cells (p < 0.001).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) determination in A375 cells treated with essential oils F4 and L4 for 72 h. * Significant vs. control untreated cells (p < 0.001).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Levels of GSH in A375 cells treated with essential oils F4 and L4 for 72 h. * Significant vs. control untreated cells (p < 0.001).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Representation of the A. arborescens EOs according to their chemotypes based on the major compounds camphor, chamazulene and β-thujone. Chemo I: camphor-chamazulene-β-thujone, Chemo II: β-thujone/chamazulene, Chemo III: chamazulene/camphor.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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