The Aromatic Plant <i>Satureja horvatii</i> ssp. <i>macrophylla</i> Induces Apoptosis and Cell Death to the A549 Cancer Cell Line

Abstract

S. horvatii ssp. macrophylla (Lamiaceae) is an endemic aromatic plant of Greece and is used as a culinary herb. In the present study we explored its possible anticancer activity through the induction of apoptosis on cancer cells using A549 cell line as a model. The cytotoxic effects and the type of cell death (apoptosis/necrosis) were evaluated with biochemical and morphological criteria. The total methanol extract of S. horvatii ssp. macrophylla revealed forty two components, of which carvacrol was the major constituent (43.2%). Only a minor portion of them (3.41%) was contained in the active working plant extract solution which was used for cell treatment. This study indicates that extract of S. horvatii spp. macrophylla, which belongs to carvacrol chemotype, can induce both apoptosis and necrosis to A549 cancer cell line.

Satureja subspicata and S. horvatii Extracts Induce Overexpression of the BCl-2 Family of Anti-apoptotic Genes and Reduce Micronuclei Frequency in Mice

“…Many studies have confirmed antioxidative and antimicrobial activity of Satureja species [3,4]. Additionally, some authors reported either cytotoxic [5][6][7] or apoptotic activity [8,9] of essential oils isolated from several Satureja species.…”

In Vitro Antifungal Activity of Satureja horvatii ssp. macrophylla Against 3 Tomato Phytopathogenic Fungi

“…6 Essential oil compounds could also penetrate the fungal cells, due to their lipophilic nature and act on different intracellular targets. 27 Our findings showed that the essential oil of S. horvatii ssp. macrophylla, which belongs to the carvacrol chemotype, possesses a strong antifungal activity against the 3 important phytopathogenic fungi tested (A. alternatα, B. cinerea, F. oxysporum f. sp.…”

“…macrophylla , we tested an emulsion of the essential oil and an aqueous solution prepared from the dry plant tissue (details in the experimental section). For this screening we used the agar wells diffusion method described by Souza et al, 27 with some modifications. In this, Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) was mixed with conidia suspension of the test fungus and wells prepared in the medium were filled with the extract.…”

“…6 Essential oil compounds could also penetrate the fungal cells, due to their lipophilic nature and act on different intracellular targets. 27…”

Enrichment of Olive Oils with Natural Bioactive Compounds from Aromatic and Medicinal Herbs: Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant Potential

“…The pulverized dry plant material was extracted with methanol (10 mg mL −1 ) for 10 min × 3 using an ultrasound bath (Badelin Electronic, Berlin, Germany) as previously described [ 34 ], aliquoted and stored at −20 °C until use. The essential oil was isolated by hydro-distillation (2 h) using a Clevenger-type apparatus.…”