Antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing effect of essential oil extracted from (J.) Smith leaves.

(J.) Smith is an endemic species in China, which has been proved to be an important Chinese herbal medicine. However, chemical composition and bioactivity of essential oil (EO) of (J.) Smith leaves remain unclear. In present study, we isolated EO from the plant by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction assay (SFE-CO), and investigated on cancer cells MGC-803, MCF-7, BGC-823, Bcap-37, A375, and A549 in vitro by MTT assay. 26 compounds were identified by GC-MS analysis, and the EO showed significant antitumor activities against MGC-803, Bcap-37, and A549 cancer cell lines (IC values ranging from 0.15 to 0.24 mg/mL), and the activities of its main component were also studied. Subsequent fluorescence staining and flow cytometry analysis indicated that the EO could induce apoptosis in MGC-803, Bcap-37, and A549 cell lines, and the apoptosis ratios reached 26.44 % after 48 h of treatment at 0.15 mg/mL in MGC-803 cells. Caspase 3 activity in MGC-803 cells was also determined when the cells treated with the oil, and the activity of caspase 3 enzyme was increased compared to the control. This study suggests that the EO isolated from (J.) Smith could inhibit the growth of human carcinoma cells, and it could induce apoptosis of cancer cells.