Essential oil from Caesalpinia peltophoroides flowers - Chemical composition and in vitro cytotoxic evaluation

Abstract

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the flowers of Caesalpinia peltophoroides Benth (Leguminosae) was determined using GC/FID and GC/MS analysis. Twenty-seven compounds were identified, including n -dodecanol (14.2%), n-tetradecanol (19.3%), and n-pentadecanol (5.6%), as well as methyl tetradecanoate (7.4%) and methyl hexadecanoate (12.7%) as main constituents. In vitro the cytotoxic activity of the crude essential oil was evaluated against six cancer cell lines - murine melanoma (B16F10-Nex2), human glioblastoma (U87), cervical carcinoma (HeLa), leukemia (HL-60), colon carcinoma (HCT), and melanoma (A2058). The essential oil had significant cytotoxic activity on U87, HCT, and A2058 cell lines. The IC50 values found were lower than those determined for the positive control, cisplatin, suggesting that the oil could be a source of new antineoplastic agents.