Correlation between chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oils from leaves and berries of Schinus molle L. growing in two areas of Bejaia (Algeria)

Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Cytotoxicity in Liver Carcinoma Cells Induced by Silver Nanoparticles Biosynthesized Using Schinus molle Extract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and is ranked as the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Schinus molle (S. mole) L. is an important medicinal plant that contains many bioactive compounds with pharmacological properties. The role of S. molle leaf extract in the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was determined. The biosynthesized AgNPs were thoroughly characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. Furthermore, the cytotoxic effect of the biosynthesized AgNPs using S. molle (SMAgNPs) against HepG2 liver cancer cells was investigated. Reactive oxygen species generation, apoptosis induction, DNA damage, and autophagy activity were analyzed. The results clearly showed that the biosynthesized silver nanoparticles inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 by significantly (p < 0.05) inducing oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, DNA damage, apoptosis, and autophagy in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These findings may encourage integrating the potential of natural products and the efficiency of silver nanoparticles for the fabrication of safe, environmentally friendly, and effective anticancer agents.

Schinus molle essential oil as a potential source of bioactive compounds: antifungal and antibacterial properties

AIMS

The study was focused on the evaluation of antimicrobial activity in vitro of the essential oil (EO) of leaves from Schinus molle against bacteria and fungi of clinical importance in the search for the discovery of new active compounds.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The chemical composition of the S. molle EO was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and its antimicrobial effect was verified by broth microdilution method. The major compounds found were β-pinene (25·23%), epi-α-cadinol (21·29%), α-pinene (18·72%), myrcene (11·54%) and sabinene (5·02%). The EO showed significant antifungal activity against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (39·06 μg ml^-1 ), weak action against Cryptococcus neoformans (625 μg ml^-1 ) and Trichophyton quinckeanum (625 μg ml^-1 ) and was inactive against Candida sp. In the analysis of the antibacterial action, the micro-organisms tested did not show sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed a promising result of S. molle volatiles against the fungus P. brasiliensis, which causes paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a systemic mycosis of great clinical importance in Latin America.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The results found here are novel and encourage investigations of the compounds present in this EO, which represents a source of molecules with potential use in the treatment of PCM.