Enhancing the anticancer potential of garlic and lemon essential oils through nanoemulsification: a comparative study

Garlic and lemon essential oils are recognized for their health benefits, and this study analyzed their chemical composition using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This study emphasized reducing these oils to nanoemulsion forms. Both conventional and nanoemulsified oils were assessed for their effects on breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Results indicated that both normal and nano garlic essential oils exhibited a pronounced anticancer effect, resulting in lower cell viability. In contrast, lemon essential oils showed moderate efficacy with higher cell viability. The DPPH assay demonstrated that nano garlic essential oil had the strongest antioxidant capacity, while also preserving acid and peroxide values better than traditional forms. Lemon essential oil displayed some effectiveness but was less potent overall. The study concludes that reducing garlic and lemon essential oils to the nanoscale enhances their efficacy, particularly highlighting garlic's volatile oils as a potentially valuable remedy for human health compared with lemon's.