Effects of Carvacrol on a Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Cell Line, A549

Abstract

Carvacrol, the predominant monoterpene in many essential oils of Labitae including Origanum, Satureja, Thymbra, Thymus, and Corydothymus has substantial antibacterial, antifungal, antihelmintic, insecticial, analgesic and antioxidant activities. Approximately 75% of lung cancer is non-small cell carcinoma (NSCLC) which comprises several histologic types squamous cell, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. It was reported that the portion of lung tumors diagnosed as denocarcinoma has increased. Thus a human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line, A549 was chosen for this study. To investigate the effects of carvacrol on cell morphology, apoptosis and total protein amount, the cells incubated with various concentration of carvacrol in DMSO for 24 h. In carvacrol applied A549 cell line, increase in dose of carvacrol caused a decrease in cell number, degeneration of cell morphology and a decrease in total protein amount. To characterize carvacrol induced changes in cell morphology, cells were examined by light microscopy. Cells were treated with carvacrol were seen to have detached from the disk, with cell rounding, cytoplasmic blebbing and irregularity in shape. The data demonstrate that carvacrol is very potent inhibitor of cell growth in A549 cell line.

Membrane and DNA Damaging/Protective Effects of Eugenol, Eucalyptol, Terpinen-4-ol and Camphor at Various Concentrations on Parental and Drug Resistant H1299 Cells

“…They induced membrane and DNA damage and cytotoxicity in H1299 cells at relatively higher concentrations than those that mediate their anticancer activities. The induction of cytotoxic cell death can be accompanied by membrane and DNA damage (39). In our study, MDA and 8-OHdG levels were increased in cells exposed to eugenol, eucalyptol, terpinen-4-ol, and camphor as a consequence of the membrane and DNA damaging effects of these test components on the cells, as showed in the results.…”

Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Properties of the Essential Oils of Satureja thymbra and Satureja parnassica and their Major Constituents

“…In the case of carvacrol, the most sensitive cell line was the lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell line (EC 50 =0.118±0.0012 mΜ), while Hep3B cells exhibited an intermediate effect (EC 50 =0.234±0.017 mΜ). In a study in 2003, carvacrol affected the viability of A549 cells in concentrations greater than 0.250 mΜ when treated for 24 h (27). The activity of carvacrol against A549 cells was also described in another study, where it was considered a weakly cytotoxic agent (EC 50 >0.1 mΜ), not only against these cells but also against the DLD-1 colon adenocarcinoma cell line (28).…”

Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effect of carvacrol on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG-2

“…In the recent past, its antitumor effect has arisen the concern of investigator. It was revealed that carvacrol has anti-proliferative properties on non-small cell lung cancer cells, A549, chronic myeloid leukemia cells, K562, Hep-2 cells, murine B16 melanoma cells and human metastatic breast cancer cells, MDA-MB231 (He et al 1997;Koparal and Zeytinoglu 2003;Lampronti et al 2006;Karkabounas et al 2006;Horvathova et al 2007;Arunasree 2010). Based upon the previous studies, it has been shown that carvacrol had a broad-spectrum of cytotoxic and anticancer activity.…”