Comparative phytochemical profile and antiproliferative activity on human melanoma cells of essential oils of three lebanese Salvia species

In the Lebanese folk medicine, Salvia species are used by many people in various villages and towns forthe therapeutic value of their essential oils and water extracts. In this paper we report on the chemical composition and the potential anticancer effect of essential oils from three Salvia species well knownin Lebanon as component in several multi herb products used for the treatment of cancer and other diseases: Salvia aurea L., Salvia judaica Boiss. and Salvia viscosa Jacq. The three essential oils, studied by GCand GC–MS, were all rich in sesquiterpenes, particularly oxygenated sesquiterpenes, with caryophylleneoxide as main compound for all three oils. The essential oils biological activity was evaluated in human melanoma cells testing cell vitality, cell membrane integrity, genomic DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activity. All the oils were able to inhibit the growth of the cancer cells examined inducing apoptotic cell death, thus providing an in vitro scientific support for the use of these plants in traditional herbal preparations.