Tyrosinase Inhibition, In vitro Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Cytotoxicity and Anticancer activities of the Essential Oil from the Leaves of Artemisia turanica, Growing Wild in Iran

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, chelating ability, tyrosinase inhibition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic and radical scavenging activities of the leaf essential oil of Artemisia turanica Krasch., from northeastern Iran. The leaf essential oil of A. turanica was isolated by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Oxygenated monoterpenes such as 1,8-Cineole (34.2 %) and α-thujone (25.5 %) were the major components in the leaf essential oil of A. turanica. Bactericidal kinetics of this oil indicated that E. coli is the most vulnerable (MIC = 2.5 mg/ml, D value = 6.43 min). Total phenol content of the oil was determined to be 237.87 ± 6.66 μg GAE/mg oil. A. turanica oil exhibited a dosedependent scavenging of DPPH, nitric oxide and superoxide anion radicals with IC values of 7.00 mg/ml, 9.69 μg and 14.63 μg, respectively. Ferrous-ion chelating activity of the oil (IC₅₀ = 16.97 μg) was lower than EDTA. IC values for Hela and lymphocyte cells were calculated to be 17.67 and 3291.49 μg/ml, respectively. The results suggest application of A. turanica oil as a natural antioxidant and anticancer agent.

Key words:

• Hela cell lines
• DPPH
• MTT assay
• β-carotene - linoleic acid assay
• nitric oxide and superoxide anion radicals