Anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities of Tanacetum parthenium essential oil

Abstract

Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Sch.Bip., a well-known member of the Asteraceae family, has long been used in traditional medicine against different ailments. Although the biological activities of its extracts and constituents such as parthenolide have been extensively studied, investigations on its essential oil remain limited. This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition and in vitro biological activities of essential oil obtained from T. parthenium wild-growing in Türkiye. The essential oil was obtained via steam distillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Its anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated by measuring nitric oxide (NO) inhibition in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages using the Griess assay. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of the essential oil were assessed on two human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) using the MTT assay. The results showed that the essential oil reduced NO production by 27% and 11% with 0.5 and 1 mg/mL, and exhibited weak cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values of 333 ± 2.5 µg/mL and 214 ± 13.8 µg/mL against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of T. parthenium essential oil as a natural source of bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, warranting further pharmacological and phytochemical investigations.