1Department of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore-54590, Pakistan
2Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore-54590, Pakistan
3National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB), University of the Punjab, Lahore-53700, Pakistan
Abstract
The present study was designed to investigate the anti-cancer potential of essential oil obtained from Rosa indica (REO) and Eucalyptus citriodora (EEO) against the liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2). Firstly, the cytotoxic activity was assessed using increasing concentrations ranging from 3.12 to 200 µg/ml via MTT assay. EEO showed only 2% cell viability while REO represented 18% at the highest concentration (200 μg/ml). The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of EEO and REO was found to be 17.741 µg/ml and 18.55 µg/ml respectively. Additionally, evident morphological changes in HepG2 cells were observed after 24 hours of essential oil treatment compared to control or untreated cells. Furthermore, to strengthen the anti-cancer perspective of essential oils, the anti-metastatic potential was evaluated through the wound healing assay. EEO promisingly inhibited migration (4% wound closure, **p > 0.01) in HepG2 cells after 24 hr treatment. Likewise, REO also exhibited good results (37% wound closure, ***p > 0.001). Conclusively, the present investigation provides preliminary results which suggest that REO and EEO are potent anti-cancer agents against hepatocellular carcinoma.
Keywords: Essential oil, Metastasis, HepG2, Cytotoxicity, Liver cancer
