Planta Med 2014; 80 - P1L135
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1394792

Antifungal and anti-inflammatory claims for wild carrot essential oil

J Valente 1, 3, R Resende 3, M Zuzarte 1, MJ Gonçalves 1, 2, 3, MC Lopes 2, 3, C Cavaleiro 1, 2, 3, C Pereira 3, 4, L Salgueiro 1, 2, 3, MT Cruz 2, 3
  • 1Center of Pharmaceutical Studies, Health Science Campus, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de S. Comba 3000 – 354, Coimbra, Portugal
  • 2Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de S. Comba 3000 – 354 Coimbra, Portugal
  • 3Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004 – 517 Coimbra, Portugal
  • 4Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de S. Comba 3000 – 548 Coimbra, Portugal

The present study focuses on the biological potential, including both antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, and on the cytotoxicity of the unexplored essential oil extracted from wild carrot (Daucus carota subsp. maximus) from Portugal. The essential oil from the aerial parts of plants growing in the south of Portugal were analysed by GC and GC-MS. The oil was predominantly composed of monoterpenes (52.6%), being α-pinene (22.2%) and geranyl acetate (16.0%) the main compounds. Also, the sesquiterpene hydrocarbon β-bisabolene (11.5%) and the phenylpropanoid α-asarone (9.8%) were present in significant amounts. The antifungal activity was shown through the determination of both the minimal inhibitory and minimal lethal concentrations (MICs and MLCs) of the oil against several pathogenic fungi strains [1 – 3]. The oil was particularly active against dermatophytes and Cryptococcus neoformans, with MIC values ranging from 0.16 to 0.32µL/mL. The peripheral and central anti-inflammatory ability of the oil was demonstrated by the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in both lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated macrophages and microglia cells, respectively. Moreover, oil's cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTT assay in four mammalian cell lines, namely macrophages (Raw 264.7), keratinocytes (HaCat), hepatocytes (HepG2) and microglia (N9). Both bioactive and safe concentrations (0.32µL/mL) were disclosed supporting subsequent in vivo investigations for the development of effective therapeutic complements for the management of dermatophytosis and/or inflammatory-related diseases. Moreover, bearing in mind that inflammation plays a key role in progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, the novelty and significance of these results also set up an interesting starting point for the design of a potential nutraceutical to prevent or ameliorate these highly prevalent chronic disorders.

Keywords: Daucus maximus, essential oil, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, cell viability

References:

[1] CLSI – Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. 2008a. Reference method for broth dilution antifungal susceptibility testing of yeasts; Aproved standard M27-A3, 3rded. Wayne, PA, USA.

[2] CLSI – Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. 2008b. Reference method for broth dilution antifungal susceptibility testing of yeasts; 3 rd informational supplement M27-S3. Wayne, PA, USA.

[3] CLSI – Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. 2008c. Reference method for broth dilution antifungal susceptibility testing of filamentous fungi; Approved standard M38-A2, 3 rd ed. Wayne, PA, USA.