ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION AND CYTOTOXICITY OF Decaspermum parviflorum (Lam.) A.J.Scott FROM MALAYSIA

Abstract

The present study analyzed the chemical composition and evaluated the cytotoxicity of essential oil extracted from Decaspermum parviflorum (Lam.) A.J.Scott (Myrtaceae). The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-five components were identified, accounting for 97.3% and comprising mainly of monoterpene hydrocarbons, 52.5%. α-Pinene (40.5%), β-pinene (9.2%), β-eudesmol (8.0%), globulol (7.5%), and β-caryophyllene (5.1%) were identified as its major components. The oil exhibits potent cytotoxicity (IC50values of 68.5-70.2 μg/mL) against three human cancer cell lines; HepG2(liver), MCF7 (breast), and A549 (lung). This is the first report on the chemical composition and cytotoxicity of D. parviflorum essential oil from the context of Malaysia in this study. The present study highlights the potential of using essential oil as an excellent alternative for the development of anticancer chemotherapeutic agents for the pharmaceutical industry.