Potential Anti-Cancer, Cytotoxic and Antioxidant of Polar and Non-Polar Extracts of Origanummajorana Linn

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the anticancer and cytotoxic activity of the Origanum majorana and also to test its antioxidant potential. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The in vitro anticancer and cytotoxic activity of the Polar (PF) and Non-Polar Fraction (NPF) obtained from a total Ethanolic Extract (EE) of O. majorana were evaluated using the murine myeloma cell lines Sp2/O-Ag14 (ATCC: CRL-1581) and VERO-ATCC-CCL81. The cell viability was measured with the Colorimetric Quantification System of the Transmittance Index (CQSTI) method; a simple ANOVA of the CQSTI values of each cell line treated with the different extracts was carried out. Findings: The preliminary phytochemical analysis determined the presence of tannins, flavonoids and terpenes in the fractions. EE and PF showed a strong DPPH free radical scavenging capacity, 88,8 and 85.9% uptake, respectively. EE and PF displayed promising anti anticancer activity for both cell lines, so, EE, PF and NPF concentrations that produced 50% cell viability included 5.7 mg/mL, 5.8 mg/mL and 35.8 mg/mL, respectively. Application/Improvements: For the first time it is shown that the PF from O. majoranaa low concentrations affected myeloma cells but not VERO cells. These results indicate that this fraction has an anticancer activity. In addition, our results demonstrated that the PF has a high phenolic content, this could be related to its cytotoxic activity.