Comparison of ultrastructural changes and the anticarcinogenic effects of thymol and carvacrol on ovarian cancer cells: which is more effective?

ABSTRACT

Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide in women. Many anticancer drugs are currently used clinically have been isolated from plant species or are based on such substances. Thymol (5-methyl-2-isopropylphenol) and carvacrol are oxygenated aromatic compounds from the monoterpene group. They are the main constituents of thyme essential oil and show antiproliferative, antioxidant, and antiseptic properties. The aim of this study is to compare the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of thymol and carvacrol on SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line. The cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of thymol and carvacrol (100, 200, 400, 600 µM) at 24 h and 48 h durations. The cell viability was investigated by MTT assay and analysis of apoptosis with annexin V assay was determined. The study show that thymol and carvacrol significantly induced apoptosis in all groups as dose and time-dependent (p < .05). The data in the present study demonstrated that thymol and carvacrol have apoptotic and antiproliferative properties in a concentration-dependent manner toward ovarian cancer cells. SKOV-3 cancer cell line was much more sensitive to the toxic effect of thymol than carvacrol.

KEYWORDS:

• Apoptosis
• antiproliferative
• carvacrol
• ovarian cancer
• ultrastructure
• thymol

Acknowledgments

The authors extend their sincere gratitude to the Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey, for their support. The authors thanks Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University, Research Laboratories Center, Material Research Laboratory for the access of the SEM facility.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study has been granted by the Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University Research Projects Coordination Office through Project Grant Number:  (17/062). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript