Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Leaf Essential Oil as a Potential Anticancer Agent:

Experimental and Computational Studies

• PMID: 37447036
• 2023 Jun 28;12(13):2475.
  • PMCID: PMC10346282
  • DOI: 10.3390/plants12132475
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    Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, affected by several factors including oxidative stress; and although conventional synthetic medicines have been used to treat cancer, they often result in various side effects. Consequently, there is a growing need for newer, safer and more effective alternatives, such as natural plant products. Essential oils (EOs) are one such alternative, offering a wide range of bioactivities, including antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Accordingly, the present study investigated the chemical composition, as well as the antioxidant and anticancer properties of the leaf essential oil of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana , belonging to the Cupressaceae family.
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  • Totally, 59 constituents were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. 
  • cis-Abienol, trans-ferruginol, α-cadinol, δ-muurolene and α-pinene were the major components.
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  • The in vitro cytotoxicity study against human breast (MCF-7), colon (HCT-116), lung (A-549), hepatocellular (HepG-2) carcinoma cells using MTT assay indicated a promising cytotoxic activity against all the tested cancer cells, particularly HepG-2, with significant selectivity indices.
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  • Port Orford Cedarwood Leaf Essential Oil exhibited weak antioxidant activity according to the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays.
• In silico docking of these constituents against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) and caspase-8 using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) software demonstrated good binding affinities of the components with the active site of these targets.
• These findings suggested that Port Orford Cedarwood Leaf Essential Oil may be a potentially viable therapeutic option for fighting cancerous conditions.