Anticancer activity of essential oils: Cell cycle perspective
Vanshika Sharma, Deepak Kumar, Kamal Dev, Anuradha Sourirajan
Abstract
• Describes the anti-cancer effects of essential oils from different plants target PARP inhibition, intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms, and the cell cycle. • Essential oils were tested using HeLa, MDA-MB-231, and H69AR cell lines. • Essential oils target p21 , p53, and the G1/G0 phases of the cell cycle, causing cell cycle arrest or death. • Its corrects or suppress the malignant cells at a particular phase of the cell cycle, and are excellent for cancer treatments. • This investigation may reveal viable cancer treatments and methods for overcoming the side effects of cancer treatment. One of the biggest causes of mortality in humans is cancer, thus emphasizing on research for curing cancer, its prevention and treatment. Mis-regulation of the cell cycle is the underlying cause of any cancer, resulting in uncontrolled cell division leading to tumor formation. Current cancer therapies are limited by side effects, lack of specificity, and toxicity. Essential oils derived from various parts of medicinal and aromatic plants Citrus limettioides, Origanum onites, Artemisia campestris, Rosmarinus officinalis, Thymelaea hirsute, Croton matourensis and flowers and leaves of Croton micans, etc. , appear to be a promising, safe and effective source of herbal medicine for cancer cure. Essential oils have diverse applications such as aromatherapy, naturopathy, treating various infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases like cancer, as well as for aging. Several essential oils have been reported to possess anticancer activity against cancer cells, as well as in animal models. In this review, we discuss the anti-cancer activity of different essential oils from an array of medicinal plants, and their mechanism of action, with a special focus on the cell cycle targets.