Nepeta mahanesis essential oil induces apoptosis via ROS generation in MDA-MB-۲۳۱ human breast cancer cells

Conventional treatment for cancer includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery often affects the patient’s quality of life due to their serious side effects. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop less toxic and more effective therapy and plants are a promising source for such entities. Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of volatile and natural bioactive compounds particularly abundant in aromatic plants. EOs have been shown to possess anticancer activity and are able to reduce the side effects of commonly used chemotherapy drugs. Most chemotherapeutics elevate intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and many can alter redox homeostasis of cancer cells. It is widely accepted that the anticancer effect of these chemotherapeutics is due to the induction of oxidative stress and ROS-mediated cell injury in cancer. ROS also plays a critical role in apoptosis induction following exposures to EOs extracted from different plants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effect of N. mahanesis EO on ROS production in breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-۲۳۱. Dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay indicated that ROS increased significantly following exposure of cells to N. mahanesis EO (۲.۵-۷.۵ mg/mL) that indicate EO-mediated oxidative stress.