The induction of apoptosis in human melanoma, breast and ovarian cell lines using an essential oil extract from the conifer Tetraclinis articulata

Abstract

The cytotoxic effect of conifer Tetraclinis articulata essential oil (TAEO) on a number of human cancer cell lines and peripheral blood lymphocytes was assessed at vmious concentrations and time exposures. The cytotoxic effect showed the hallmarks of apoptosis confinned by a variety of techniques including flow cytometly, an apoptosis- specific mm*er combined to fluorescent staining and DNA laddering. All cell lines tested were inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion and within a contact time of less than eight hours for the higher concentrations. Melanoma, breast and ovarian cancer cells gave IC50s of around 80 μg/ml whilst the IC50s on peripheral blood lymphocytes was almost double this value. We conclude that the essential oil contains components that are effective at inducing apoptosis. The advantages of using a mixture of monoterpenes (C10) as present in an EO over a single component, are discussed.