Inhibitory Effects of Rosemary Extracts, Carnosic Acid and Rosmarinic Acid on the Growth of Various Human Cancer Cell Lines

• Published in: Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht) 2010-06, Vol.65 (2), p.158-163
• Main Authors: Yesil-Celiktas, Ozlem, Sevimli, Canan, Bedir, Erdal, Vardar-Sukan, Fazilet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abietanes - isolation & purification; Abietanes - pharmacology; Abietanes - therapeutic use; Anticarcinogen; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - isolation & purification; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Carnosic acid; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cell Survival - drug effects; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Cinnamates - isolation & purification; Cinnamates - pharmacology; Cinnamates - therapeutic use; cytotoxicity; Depsides - isolation & purification; Depsides - pharmacology; Depsides - therapeutic use; Ecology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Food engineering; Food industries; Food Science; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Humans; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Nutrition; Original Paper; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plant Physiology; Rosmarinic Acid; Rosmarinus - chemistry; Rosmarinus officinalis; Supercritical CO₂ extraction; Turkey; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0921-9668; 1573-9104
• DOI: 10.1007/s11130-010-0166-4

The leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis harvested from three different locations of Turkey were extracted by both methanolic and supercritical CO₂ extraction. Subsequently, six extracts and the active compounds, carnosic acid, and rosmarinic acid were applied to various human cancer cell lines including NCI-H82 (human, small cell lung, carcinoma), DU-145 (human, prostate, carcinoma), Hep-3B (human, black, liver, carcinoma, hepatocellular), K-562 (human chronic myeloid leukemia), MCF-7 (human, breast, adenocarcinoma), PC-3 (human, prostate, adenocarcinoma) and MDA-MB-231 (human, breast, adenocarcinoma) by MTT assay. Supercritical CO₂ extracts had superior antiproliferative effect compared to the soxhlet extracts. Although the extracts exhibited various cytotoxic effects against different cell lines, comparatively low IC₅₀ values ranging between 12.50 and 47.55 μg/ml were attained against K-562, being the most sensitive cell line. Moreover, carnosic acid caused the lowest cell viability with values ranging from 13 to 30 % at a concentration of 19 μM after 48 h of treatments, resulting in superior antiproliferative effect. Rosemary extract is a potential candidate to be included in the anti-cancer diet with pre-determined doses avoiding toxicity.