Evaluation of the Interaction between Carvacrol and Thymol, Major Compounds of <i>Ptychotis verticillata</i> Essential Oil: Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Anticancer Activities against Breast Cancer Lines
Mohamed Taibi,
Amine Elbouzidi,
Mounir Haddou,
Abdellah Baraich,
Douaae Ou-Yahia,
Reda Bellaouchi,
Ramzi A. Mothana,
Hanan M. Al-Yousef,
Abdeslam Asehraou,
Mohamed Addi,
Bouchra El Guerrouj,
Khalid Chaabane
Affiliations
Mohamed Taibi
Laboratoire d’Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda 60000, Morocco
Amine Elbouzidi
Laboratoire d’Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda 60000, Morocco
Mounir Haddou
Laboratoire d’Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda 60000, Morocco
Abdellah Baraich
Department of Biological Engineering, IUT Saint-Brieuc, University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
Douaae Ou-Yahia
Department of Biological Engineering, IUT Saint-Brieuc, University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
Reda Bellaouchi
Laboratory of Bioresources, Biotechnology, Ethnopharmacology and Health, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Oujda 60000, Morocco
Ramzi A. Mothana
Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Hanan M. Al-Yousef
Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Abdeslam Asehraou
Department of Biological Engineering, IUT Saint-Brieuc, University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
Mohamed Addi
Laboratoire d’Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda 60000, Morocco
Bouchra El Guerrouj
Laboratoire d’Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda 60000, Morocco
Khalid Chaabane
Laboratoire d’Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda 60000, Morocco
The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties of thymol, carvacrol, and their equimolar mixture. Antioxidant activities were assessed using the DPPH, ABTS, and ORAC methods. The thymol/carvacrol mixture exhibited significant synergism, surpassing the individual compounds and ascorbic acid in DPPH (IC50 = 43.82 ± 2.41 µg/mL) and ABTS (IC50 = 23.29 ± 0.71 µg/mL) assays. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by inhibiting the 5-LOX, COX-1, and COX-2 enzymes. The equimolar mixture showed the strongest inhibition of 5-LOX (IC50 = 8.46 ± 0.92 µg/mL) and substantial inhibition of COX-1 (IC50 = 15.23 ± 2.34 µg/mL) and COX-2 (IC50 = 14.53 ± 2.42 µg/mL), indicating a synergistic effect. Anticancer activity was tested on MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-436 breast cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. The thymol/carvacrol mixture demonstrated superior cytotoxicity (IC50 = 0.92–1.70 µg/mL) and increased selectivity compared to cisplatin, with high selectivity indices (144.88–267.71). These results underscore the promising therapeutic potential of the thymol/carvacrol combination, particularly for its synergistic antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties against breast cancer. This study paves the way for developing natural therapies against breast cancer and other conditions associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, leveraging the synergistic effects of natural compounds like thymol and carvacrol.
