Othman Rima, Moarbes Vanessa, Zaatar Muriel Tahtouh, Antonios Diane, Roufayel Rabih, Beyrouthy Marc, Fajloun Ziad, Sabatier Jean-Marc, Karam Marc
Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Balamand, Al-Kourah, Tripoli P.O. Box 100, Lebanon.
Molecules. 2025 Jul 3;30(13):2844. doi: 10.3390/molecules30132844.
Skin cancer, including melanoma and non-melanoma cancers (basal and squamous cell carcinomas), is the most common type of cancer. UV radiation, family history, and genetic predisposition are the main risk factors. Although surgical excision is the standard treatment, essential oils are attracting growing interest for their anti-cancer effects. This study tested the effects of M. Bieb. (Cupressaceae), DC. (Lamiaceae), and . (Lamiaceae) essential oils extracted from Middle Eastern medicinal plants on HaCaT (normal), A5 (benign), and II4 (low-grade malignant) keratinocytes. Essential oils were extracted from , , and using steam distillation and then were chemically analyzed. The oils were sterilized, dissolved in DMSO, and prepared at concentrations of 0.75, 0.5, and 0.25 mg/mL. Human keratinocyte (HaCaT), benign (A5), and malignant (II4) cell lines were cultured in DMEM and treated with the essential oils for 24 or 48 h. Cell viability was assessed using the Trypan Blue Exclusion Test, while cell proliferation was evaluated using the MTT assay. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA with appropriate post hoc tests, considering < 0.05 as significant. The results show that is cytotoxic but lacks selectivity, limiting its efficacy. In contrast, and preferentially target malignant cells, particularly at low concentrations, while sparing normal cells. These oils have dose-dependent anticancer effects, with efficacy increasing as the concentration increases. In conclusion, and are promising candidates for the treatment of skin cancer, although further in vivo studies are required.
皮肤癌，包括黑色素瘤和非黑色素瘤癌症（基底细胞癌和鳞状细胞癌），是最常见的癌症类型。紫外线辐射、家族病史和遗传易感性是主要风险因素。尽管手术切除是标准治疗方法，但精油因其抗癌作用正吸引着越来越多的关注。本研究测试了从中东药用植物中提取的地中海柏木（柏科）、迷迭香（唇形科）和薰衣草（唇形科）精油对HaCaT（正常）、A5（良性）和II4（低级别恶性）角质形成细胞的影响。采用水蒸气蒸馏法从地中海柏木、迷迭香和薰衣草中提取精油，然后进行化学分析。将精油灭菌，溶于二甲基亚砜，并制备成浓度为0.75、0.5和0.25mg/mL的溶液。人角质形成细胞（HaCaT）、良性（A5）和恶性（II4）细胞系在DMEM中培养，并用精油处理24或48小时。使用台盼蓝排斥试验评估细胞活力，同时使用MTT法评估细胞增殖。采用方差分析并进行适当的事后检验进行统计分析，以P<0.05为有统计学意义。结果表明，地中海柏木精油具有细胞毒性但缺乏选择性，限制了其疗效。相比之下，迷迭香和薰衣草精油优先靶向恶性细胞，尤其是在低浓度时，同时对正常细胞无损害。这些精油具有剂量依赖性抗癌作用，随着浓度增加，疗效增强。总之，迷迭香和薰衣草精油有望成为治疗皮肤癌的候选药物，尽管还需要进一步的体内研究。
