Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Citrus reticulate (Petitgrain Mandarin) and Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) Essential Oils

Fayed SA
Research Journal of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, 2009


ABSTRACT:

The essential oils isolated by hydro-distillation from Pelargonium graveolens (geranium) and Citrus reticulate (petitgrain mandarin) were analyzed by GC/MS and assessed for antioxidant and anticancer activities. Twenty five components of petitgrain mandarin essential oil were identified and the majorcomponents were γ -terpinene(47.89%), methylN-methyl anthranilate (13.17%), α -terpinene(7.40%), β -phellandrene (6.26%) and trans-isolimonene (5.87%). On the other hand, Thirty two compounds constituting 99.23% of geranium essential oil have been identified. The major components were citronellol (29.90%), trans-geraniol (18.03%), 10-epi-γ -eudesmol (8.27%), isomenthone (5.44%) and linalool (5.13%). The DPPH free radical scavenging activities of petitgrain mandarin and geranium essential oils at various concentrations ranging from 25 to 200 μ g/ml were determined. The essential oils of both plants reduced the concentration of DPPH free radical with an efficacy near to that of standard antioxidant (ascorbic acid). 50% effective concentration (EC 50) of petitgrain mandarin essential oil (79.84 μ g/ml) was higher than geranium essential oil (66.45 μ g/ml). It was indicated that the antioxidant activity of the geranium essential oil was higher than that of the petitgrain mandarin essential oil. In addition to the antioxidant activity, the anticancer activity of the two essential oils on two human promyelocytic leukemia cell lines (HL-60 and NB4) using trypan blue assay were investigated in vitro. HL-60 and NB4 cell lines were treated with the essential oils samples at different concentrations ranging from 25 to 200 μ g/ml. Geranium essential oil showed the highest anticancer activity with the LC 50 values of 62.50 µg/ml in NB4 cell line and 86.5 µg/ml in HL-60 cell line, whereas petitgrain mandarin essential oil gave the LC 50 values of 85.05 µg/ml in NB4 cell line and 105.73 µg/ml in HL-60 cell line. The results demonstrated the potential of the two essential oils for cancer treatments.

CITATION:

Fayed SA. Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Citrus reticulate (Petitgrain Mandarin) and Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) Essential Oils. Res J Agric Biol Sci. 2009;5(5):740-747.


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