| Title | Citral is a new inducer of caspase-3 in tumor cell lines. | | Author(s) | Dudai N, Weinstein Y, Krup M, Rabinski T, Ofir R | | Institution | Hazeva Research and Development Center, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. | | Source | Planta Med 2005 May; 71(5):484-8. | | MeSH | Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
Caspases
Cell Line, Tumor
Cymbopogon
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Humans
Melissa
Monoterpenes
Phytotherapy
Plant Oils
Plants, Medicinal
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Verbena
| | Abstract | Citral, 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-al, a key component of the lemon-scented essential oils extracted from several herbal plants such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), melissa (Melissa officinalis), verbena (Verbena officinalis) is used as a food additive and as a fragrance in cosmetics. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer potential of citral and its mode of action. Concentrations of 44.5 muM, comparable to the concentration of citral in a cup of tea prepared from 1 g of lemon grass, induced apoptosis in several hematopoietic cancer cell lines. Apoptosis was accompanied by DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 catalytic activity induction. Citral activity (22.25 microM) was compared to a reference compound like staurosporine (0.7 microM), in respect to DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 enzymatic activity. The apoptotic effect of citral depended on the alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde group. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 15931590 |
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