Antiproliferative effect of linalool on RPMI 7932 human melanoma cell line: ultrastructural studies

Linalool, a small monoterpene molecule, is used widely for its flavoring and fragrant properties in many cosmetic products. In this work, we investigated the antiproliferative effect of two different linalool solutions on RPMI 7932 human melanoma and NCTC 2544 normal keratinocites cell lines using the trypan blue method. Morphological changes in cells were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, apoptosis was evaluated using caspase 3-antibody. Linalool showed a selective inhibitory effect on the growth of melanoma cells in a concentrationdependent manner, inducing several morphological changes, as revealed by SEM and TEM analysis. Moreover, the labelling for caspase-3 is abundant in the melanoma cells and almost absent in the normal keratinocites cells. The results suggest that linalool could be used as drug and/or as model drug for developing potential therapeutic agents for melanoma.