Cytotoxicity of Essential Oil of Chenopodium ambrosioides L against Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells

Purpose: To investigate the cytotoxic activity of the essential oil of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. against human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Methods: Cytotoxicity was characterized by 50 % inhibition (IC50) of human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) using 3-(4,5-dimethylthaizol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptosis was analysed by Hoechst33258 staining and DNA ladder. MCF-7 cellular superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) vitality and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were evaluated. Results: The essential oil was cytotoxic to MCF-7 cell line. A dose- and time-dependent inhibition was observed with IC50 values of 18.75, 9.45 and 10.50 μg/ml at 6, 24 and 48 h, respectively. Analyses by Hoechst33258 staining and DNA ladder indicate that the essential oil induced apoptosis. SOD vitality significantly decreased (p 0.05) by 51 % when the concentration of the essential oil increased from 1.25 to 12.5 μg/ml while CAT vitality significantly increased (p 0.05) by 71 % when essential oil concentration was similarly increased. The MDA content of each treatment group, when compare to control, did not show any significant difference (p 0.05). Conclusion: The essential oil of C. ambrosioides was cytotoxic to MCF-7 cell line and induced apoptosis.