Molecules (Jul 2015)

Evaluation of the Cytotoxicity of Structurally Correlated p-Menthane Derivatives

  • Luciana Nalone Andrade,
  • Tamires Cardoso Lima,
  • Ricardo Guimarães Amaral,
  • Cláudia do Ó Pessoa,
  • Manoel Odorico de Moraes Filho,
  • Bruno Marques Soares,
  • Lázaro Gomes do Nascimento,
  • Adriana Andrade Carvalho,
  • Damião Pergentino de Sousa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules200713264
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 7
pp. 13264 – 13280

Abstract

Read online

Compounds isolated from essential oils play an important role in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Monoterpenes are natural products, and the principal constituents of many essential oils. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic potential of p-menthane derivatives. Additionally, analogues of perillyl alcohol, a monoterpene with known anticancer activity, were evaluated to identify the molecular characteristics which contribute to their cytotoxicity, which was tested against OVCAR-8, HCT-116, and SF-295 human tumor cell lines, using the MTT assay. The results of this study showed that (−)-perillaldehyde 8,9-epoxide exhibited the highest percentage inhibition of cell proliferation (GI = 96.32%–99.89%). Perillyl alcohol exhibited high cytotoxic activity (90.92%–95.82%), while (+)-limonene 1,2-epoxide (GI = 58.48%–93.10%), (−)-perillaldehyde (GI = 59.28%–83.03%), and (−)-8-hydroxycarvotanacetone (GI = 61.59%–94.01%) showed intermediate activity. All of the compounds tested were less cytotoxic than perillyl alcohol, except (−)-perillaldehyde 8,9-epoxide (IC50 = 1.75–1.03 µL/mg). In general, replacement of C-C double bonds by epoxide groups in addition to the aldehyde group increases cytotoxicity. Furthermore, stereochemistry seems to play an important role in cytotoxicity. We have demonstrated the cytotoxic influence of chemical substituents on the p-menthane structure, and analogues of perillyl alcohol.

Keywords