Anti-mutagenicity and apoptotic effects of Teucrium polium L. essential oil in HT29 cell line

Abstract

Objectives: Regarding the high prevalence of cancer in Iran and the cytotoxic properties of T. polium, the current study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic and anti-mutagenicity effect of T. polium essential oil (TpEO) on human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT29). Methods: HT29 cells were cultured in L-glutamine, RPMI Sigma (1640), with 10% of FBS (fetal bovine serum). Then, the cultures were incubated with 5% CO2 at 37°C, and MTT assay was used to recognize cell proliferation under the inhibitory influence of TpEO. The cell cycle progression was monitored by Sub-G1 apoptosis assay using flow cytometry. Eventually, the anti-mutagenicity property was evaluated using the Ames test employing TA100 and exposure to sodium azide as the carcinogenic substance. Results: The cytotoxic effect of TpEO on HT29 cells was 66.867 ± 1.37 µg/mL. Cultured HT29 cells treated with TpEO exhibited morphological features of apoptosis. TpEO preventive effect was about 78.18%. Conclusions: This study showed that TpEO may be useful for treating colon cancer.