Abstract

CYTOTOXIC AND ANTIPHYTOFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF THE ESSENTIAL OILS FROM TWO ARTEMISIA SPECIES

Nasser A. Awadh Ali*, Martina Wurster , Annika Denkert ,Saeed S. Al-Sokari, Ulrike Lindequist, LudgerWessjohann

Abstract

Hydrodistilled essential oils from aerial parts of Artemisia abyssinica Sch.Bip. ex A. Rich, and Artemisia arborescens L. growing in Yemen were screened for their cytotoxic and antiphytofungal properties as well as their chemical compositions. Twenty-seven components were identified in the essential oils and the main components of these species were found to be davanone (42.34%), camphor (22.88%), nerolidol (8.96%), and chamazulene (4.46%), from A. abyssinica oil and artemisia ketone (51.05%), camphor (14.09%), α-bisabolol (12.56%) and α-phellandrene (8.69%) from A. arborescens. At concentration of 50 and 25 μg/mL, A. arborescens oil showed a strong cytotoxic activity with growth inhibition of 95%(±1.6) and 74%(±3.8) (IC50 of 16.91 μg/mL) against HT29 tumor cells (Human colonic adenocarcinoma cells), while A. abyssinica oil exhibited at concentration of 100 and 50 μg/mL growth inhibition of 71.0% (±12.5) and 27.3%(±14.4) (IC50 of 75.42 μg/mL) respectively. Bioautographic assay was used to evaluate the antiphytofungal activity of the oils against Cladosporium cucumerinum.

Keywords: Artemisia abyssinica; Artemisia arborescens; cytotoxic activity Cladosporium cucumerinum; essential oil.