Analysis of Chemical Composition and Assessment of Cytotoxic, Antimicrobial, and Antioxidant Activities of the Essential Oil of Meriandra dianthera Growing in Saudi Arabia

PubMed: 31336582

The essential oil of Meriandra dianthera (Konig ex Roxb.) Benth. (Synonym: Meriandra bengalensis, Lamiaceae) collected from Saudi Arabia was studied utilizing GC and GC/MS. Forty four constituents were identified, representing 96.8% of the total oil. The M. dianthera essential oil (MDEO) was characterized by a high content of oxygenated monoterpenes (76.2%). Camphor (54.3%) was the major compound in MDEO followed by 1,8-cineole (12.2%) and camphene (10.4%). Moreover, MDEO was assessed for its cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities. MDEO demonstrated an interesting cytotoxic activity against all cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 83.6 to 91.2 µg/mL, especially against MCF-7 cancer cells. Using labeling with annexin VFITC and/or propidium iodide (PI) dyes and flow cytometer analysis, the apoptosis induction was quantitatively confirmed for MCF-7 cells. The MDEO exhibited a considerable antimicrobial activity against all bacterial and fungal strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)-values of 0.07 to 1.25 mg/mL. The most sensitive microbial strain was Staphylococcus aureus (MIC: 0.07 mg/mL). Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) or minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values were determined one time higher than that of MIC’s. Additionally, the MDEO revealed a strong activity for reducing ß-carotene bleaching with a total antioxidant value of 72.6% and significant DPPH free radical scavenging activity (78.4%) at the concentration 1000 µg/mL

King Saud University, KSU Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University

Funding: This research was funded by DSR (Deanship of Scientific Research) at King Saud University for funding the work through the research group project No. (RGP-073).

Acknowledgments: The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding the work through the research group project No. (RGP-073).