Therapeutic properties of Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris essential oil against cancer cells

Plants have an important role in traditional medicine, once they present several therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumoral. An interesting fact show that, currently, more than 60% of the available drugs used in the clinic to treat cancer derive from natural products or are inspired in their chemical structure. Therefore, plants play a key role on drug discovery, which have attracted the attention of researchers and clinicians over the years. Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris (R. segetum), used in traditional medicine to treat digestive problems and prevent infections of the respiratory tract, is one example of a medicinal plant that should be exploited. In this regard, the developed study showed the antitumoral potential of R. segetum essential oil, identifying its capability to inhibit cell proliferation and significantly reduce tumor size on 3D cell models. This work provides information on the antitumoral mechanism of R. segetum essential oil and also suggests the further study of this essential oil as a promising phytoproduct to be used in future therapeutic approaches to treat cancer.

Authors and Affiliations:

Ellie Beeby^1#, Mariana Magalhães^2,3#, Marco F.L. Lemos⁵, Isabel M. Pires¹, Célia Cabral^2,3,5

¹Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, HU6 7RX, UK

²University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Clinic Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Faculty of Medicine, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal

³University of Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal

⁴MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2520-641, Peniche, Portugal

⁵Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal

^# These authors contributed equally.

Abstract:

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The past few years have witnessed an increasing interest in essential oils (EOs) as potential therapeutic agents against a wide variety of pathologies, including cancer. EOs extracted from Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris (R. segetum) are a clear example of a phytoproduct with therapeutic applications, as it is widely used in traditional medicine due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and these properties were already validated by previous studies. Although, it is well established that inflammation is a key hallmark of cancer, with a key role promoting tumorigenesis, and being chronic inflammation often associated with tumorigenic processes, there are no previous studies regarding the assessment of the antitumoural potential of R. segetum EOs. 

Aim of the study: The present study intends to be the first to evaluate the antitumoural proprieties of R. segetum EO phytoproducts in cancer cell models. 

Materials and methods: For this, R. segetum EOs were extracted from plants collected at either flowering (RS_Fl) or fruiting (RS_Fr) stage. The impact on proliferation and viability of treatment with R. segetum EO extracts was assessed using in vitro 2D and 3D models.

Results: Both R. segetum EOs presented effective antiproliferative/viability effects, evidence noted by low IC50 values in 2D models, and significant reduction of spheroid size in 3D in vitro models. Mechanistically, treatment with R. segetum EOs was associated with an altered G1 (associated with p21 stabilisation), and subsequent induction of apoptosis.

Conclusions: Overall, these results indicate that R. segetum EOs have potential as suitable antitumoural therapeutic agents.

Journal: Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874120334012?via%3Dihub