title: Chemical composition and antiproliferative activity of essential oil from the leaves of a medicinal herb, Schefflera heptaphylla.
abstract: Schefflera heptaphylla (L.) Frodin is a medicinal herb widely used as a main ingredient of the popular health tea formulation against infections in Southern China. Twenty-seven volatile compounds were identified by GC-MS analysis from the essential oil obtained from the leaves of S. heptaphylla, and 17 of them belonged to monoterpenes or sesquiterpenes. The main volatile constituent in S. heptaphylla was found to be a monoterpene, beta-pinene, comprising about 22% of the total volatile components. The essential oil showed significant antiproliferative activity against three cancer cell lines, MCF-7, A375 and HepG2 cells, with IC50 values of 7.3 microg/mL, 7.5 microg/mL and 6.9 microg/mL, respectively. The result of the cytotoxicity assay indicates that (-)-beta-pinene and (+)-beta-pinene (commercially available from Sigma) also possessed antiproliferative activity against the cancer cells MCF-7, A375 and HepG2 with IC50 values ranging from 147.1 to 264.7 microm.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
authors.forename: Yao-Lan
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chung-Man
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: Lawrence C M
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Ying-Zhou
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Cen
authors.forename: Vincent E C
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Ooi
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D027481:Araliaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D000081008:Bicyclic Monoterpenes; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002681:China; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000081008:Bicyclic Monoterpenes; D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds; D039821:Monoterpenes; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C010789:beta-pinene