Chemical Characterization and in Vitro Antitumor Activity of the Essential Oils from the Leaves and Flowers of Callistemon viminalis

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize and verify the in vitro antitumor activity of essential oils (EOs) extracted from the leaves and flowers of Callistemon viminalis. The EOs were extracted by hydrodistillation using a modified Clevenger apparatus. The identification and quantification of constituents were performed on a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer and a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector. The antitumoral activity was evaluated by a colorimetric assay (MTS) using different cell lines derived from human tumors (breast, lung, glioblastoma, and melanoma). The major constituents of the EOs of leaves and flowers were similar, only quantitative differences being observed. The compounds 1,8-cineole, α-pinene and α-terpineol were found in concentrations of 50.4%, 25.8% and 8.7% in the EOs obtained from the leaves and 48.8%, 24.5% and 3.9% in the EOs obtained from the flowers, respectively. The cytotoxic activity of the EOs was observed only in melanoma cultures (HT144). Cultures treated for 48 h with EOs from leaves and flowers (200 µg·mL −1 ) reduced the viability by 40% and 25%, respectively. Thus, the antiproliferative activity of the EO from leaves was more pronounced than the EO from flowers in cells derived from melanoma.

Phytochemical profiling and seasonal variation of essential oils of three Callistemon species cultivated in Egypt

“…In the same context, essential oils obtained from C . viminalis leaves were not cytotoxic to melanoma cells (HT144) at concentration (200 μg/mL) where only 40% reduction in percentage cell viability was observed [34].…”

Essential Oils’ Chemical Characterization and Investigation of Some Biological Activities: A Critical Review

“…Furthermore, de Oliveira et al [ 104 ] reported that Callistemon viminalis EO affected the growth of lettuce seedlings and caused a reduction in the length of shoots and the root system. This reduction was proportional to the EO concentration.…”

Antibacterial activities of the phytochemicals-characterized extracts of Callistemon viminalis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Conyza dioscoridis against the growth of some phytopathogenic bacteria

“…The antibacterial activity of the studied extracts could be related to the presence of bioactive compounds in their extracts. C. viminalis flowers are rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, alkaloids and triterpenoids contents, which possess good antibacterial and antifungal activities [16,46,47]. The flower aqueous extract has also shown an antibacterial activity [14].…”

“…Moreover, it is suggested that the occurrence of active compounds like1,8-cineole in Myrtaceae family (Eucalyptus and Callistemon) are well-known for their biological activities such as antibacterial, antioxidant, and antifungal activities [10,16,19,20,46,60].…”