Abstract
Background: The aim of this work was to study the constituents and cytotoxicity of the essential oils from the fruits of Angelica archangelica growing in Iceland. Materials and Methods: Three samples of essential oils were prepared by steam distillation. Their composition was established with GC/MS. The effects of the oils were examined in PANC-1 human pancreas cancer cells and Crl mouse breast cancer cells in concentrations ranging from 10-400 μg/ml, measuring the reduction of the tetrazolium salt 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulphophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) by mitochondrial enzymes. Results: Two types of essential oils were found, differing mainly in the absence or presence of β-phellandrene. The ED50 of the oils ranged from 48.6 μg/ml to 108.3 μg/ml for PANC-1 and 48.0 μg/ml to 91.8 μg/ml for Crl cells. Conclusion: The cytotoxic activity of the essential oils was independent of the quantity of their main components.
Footnotes
- Received February 25, 2005.
- Accepted March 21, 2005.
- Copyright© 2005 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved
