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. 2023 Jul 19;13(7):1586.
doi: 10.3390/life13071586.

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity, Cytotoxicity, and Genotoxicity of Ptychotis verticillata Essential Oil: Towards Novel Breast Cancer Therapeutics

Mohamed Taibi  1   2 , Amine Elbouzidi  1 , Sabir Ouahhoud  3 , El Hassania Loukili  2 , Douâae Ou-Yahya  2 , Safae Ouahabi  4 , Ali S Alqahtani  5 , Omar M Noman  5 , Mohamed Addi  1   6 , Reda Bellaouchi  3 , Abdeslam Asehraou  3 , Ennouamane Saalaoui  3 , Bouchra El Guerrouj  1   2 , Khalid Chaabane  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity, Cytotoxicity, and Genotoxicity of Ptychotis verticillata Essential Oil: Towards Novel Breast Cancer Therapeutics

Mohamed Taibi et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

Breast cancer is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of malignant cells in breast tissue, and oxidative stress activated by an accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is associated with its development and progression. Essential oils from medicinal plants, known for their antioxidant and therapeutic properties, are being explored as alternatives. Ptychotis verticillata, also known as Nûnkha, is a medicinal plant native to Morocco, belonging to the Apiaceae family, and used for generations in traditional medicine. This study focuses on the phytochemical characterization of P. verticillata essential oil (PVEO) from the province of Oujda, Morocco, for its therapeutic properties. The essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation, and its volatile components were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results revealed the presence of various aromatic and terpene compounds, with carvacrol being the most abundant compound. PVEO showed antioxidant properties in several tests, including β-carotene bleaching, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). It also demonstrated cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, with higher selectivity for MDA-MB-231. The results reveal that Ptychotis verticillata essential oil (PVEO) could be a promising natural alternative for the treatment of breast cancer.

Keywords: Ptychotis verticillata; alternative treatment; antioxidant activity; breast cancer; cytotoxicity; essential oil; genotoxicity; oxidative stress; phytochemical characterization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
GC-MS chromatogram of Ptychotis verticillata essential oil (PVEO). The peaks in the chromatogram correspond to the volatile compounds identified and quantified in Table 1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evaluation of the effect of different concentrations of PVEO on (A) percentage of tail intensity and (B) DNA tail moment in rat leukocytes. The data are presented as mean ± SEM (50 cells × 2). **** p < 0.0001 compared to the negative control group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Assessment of Cell Viability in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and PBMC Cells Treatment with PVEO (A) and Cisplatin (positive control) (B), Following 72-h Using the MTT Assay.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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