Anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial effects of nanoemulsion of Origanum majorana essential oil

Fatemeh Rasti; Elahe Ahmadi; Mojdeh Safari; Abbas Abdollahi; Saha Satvati; Razie Ranjbar; Mahmoud Osanloo

doi:10.18502/ijm.v15i4.13511

Fatemeh Rasti Student Research Committee, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
Elahe Ahmadi Medicinal Plants Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
Mojdeh Safari Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abbas Abdollahi Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
Saha Satvati Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
Razie Ranjbar Noncommunicable Disease Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
Mahmoud Osanloo Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v15i4.13511

Keywords: Nanotechnology; Skin neoplasms; Lung neoplasms; Anti-bacterial agents

Abstract

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to develop a natural nanoemulsion with antibacterial and anticancer prop- erties.

Materials and Methods: The chemical composition of the Origanum majorana essential oil was investigated using GC–MS analysis. Besides, the successful loading of the essential oil in the nanoemulsion was confirmed using ATR-FTIR analysis. Moreover, nanoemulsion’s anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities were investigated.

Results: Terpinen-4-o1 (46.90%) was identified as the major compound in the essential oil. The nanoemulsion with a 149 ± 5 nm droplet size and zeta potential of -11 ± 1 mV was prepared. The cytotoxic effect of the nanoemulsion against A-375 human melanoma cells (IC = 139 µg/mL) showed significantly more potency than A-549 human lung cancer cells (IC = 318 µg/mL). Interestingly, growth of Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and E. coli (Gram-negative) bacteria after treatment with 4800 µg/mL of nanoemulsion were obtained at 12 ± 2 and 6 ± 1%, respectively. However, the IC of nanoemulsion against E. coli (580 µg/mL) was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from S. aureus (611 µg/mL).

Conclusion: A straightforward preparation method, high stability, and multi-biological effects are the main advantages of the prepared nanoemulsion. Therefore it could be considered for further investigation in vivo studies or complementary medicine.