Pinus Roxburghii essential oil anticancer activity and chemical composition evaluation

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Pharmacology
• Oncology

Background:

• Natural products are increasingly investigated for therapeutic potential.
• Pinus roxburghii (Chir pine) is a conifer with traditional medicinal uses.
• Essential oils from plants are a rich source of bioactive compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the anticancer activity of Pinus roxburghii essential oil.
• To determine the chemical composition of the essential oil.
• To investigate the mechanisms underlying its cytotoxic effects.

Main Methods:

• Cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT assays on various cancer cell lines (colon, leukemia, multiple myeloma, pancreatic, head and neck, lung).
• Cell death was confirmed via live/dead cell viability assays and Flow Cytometry Analysis (FACS).
• Apoptosis induction was verified by Western blotting for PARP and caspase-3 cleavage, and effects on NF-κB signaling pathway were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Pinus roxburghii essential oil demonstrated significant cytotoxicity against all tested cancer cell lines.
• The essential oil induced apoptosis, evidenced by PARP and caspase-3 cleavage, suppressing tumor colony formation with 50% inhibition at 25 μg/mL.
• It inhibited the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, downregulating key survival, proliferation, and metastasis-related genes.

Conclusions:

• Pinus roxburghii essential oil possesses considerable anticancer activity.
• The oil induces cancer cell death through apoptosis and modulation of critical signaling pathways.
• Further studies are warranted to isolate active compounds and conduct in vivo validation for its development as an anticancer agent.