Ashok Kumar Shahi

Anticancer activity of an essential oil from Cymbopogon flexuosus.

The essential oil from a lemon grass variety of Cymbopogon flexuosus was studied for its in vitro cytotoxicity against twelve human cancer cell lines. The in vivo anticancer activity of the oil was also studied using both solid and ascitic Ehrlich and Sarcoma-180 tumor models in mice. In addition, the morphological changes in tumor cells were studied to ascertain the mechanism of cell death. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies showed dose-dependent effects against various human cancer cell lines. The IC(50) values of oil ranged from 4.2 to 79 microg/ml depending upon the cell line. In 502713 (colon) and IMR-32 (neuroblastoma) cell lines, the oil showed highest cytotoxicity with IC(50) value of 4.2 and 4.7 microg/ml, respectively. Intra-peritoneal administration of the oil significantly inhibited both ascitic and solid forms of Ehrlich and Sarcoma-180 tumors in a dose-dependent manner. The tumor growth inhibition at 200 mg/kg (i.p.) of the oil observed with both ascitic and solid tumor forms of Ehrlich Ascites carcinoma was 97.34 and 57.83 respectively. In case of Sarcoma-180, the growth inhibition at similar dose of oil was 94.07 and 36.97% in ascitic and solid forms respectively. Morphological studies of the oil treated HL-60 cells revealed loss of surface projections, chromatin condensation and apoptosis. The mitochondria showed apparent loss of cristae in the cells undergoing apoptosis. The morphological studies of Sarcoma-180 solid tumor cells from animals treated with the oil revealed condensation and fragmentation of nuclei typical of apoptosis. Morphological studies of ascites cells from animals treated with the oil too revealed the changes typical of apoptosis. Our results indicate that the oil has a promising anticancer activity and causes loss in tumor cell viability by activating the apoptotic process as identified by electron microscopy.

Essential oil composition of Mentha x piperita L. from different environments of north India

The performance of Mentha x piperita L. in terms of essential oil production at different altitudes has been evaluated. Culture locations included Batote (altitude 1900 m) and Jammu (300 m) of Jammu & Kashmir State, and Palampur (1290 m) of Himachal Pradesh, in north India. All the sites showed variable thermal gradients and exhibited greater ecological amplitude. The yield of fresh material (>20 tonnes/ha) and the production of essential oils (>60 kg/ha) were satisfactory. All the three environments were found to be adequate for cultivation of peppermint with acceptable amounts of menthol. Compared to oils from Batote and Palampur, oil from Jammu was of superior quality due to the optimal concentration of menthol (64.0%) and menthyl acetate (9.2%) and the low amount of menthofuran (trace). Copyright

Composition of Cymbopogon pendulus (Nees ex Steud) Wats, an Elemicin-rich Oil Grass Grown in Jammu Region of India

Abstract Cymbopogon pendulus (Nees ex Steud) Wats, which is an elemicin-rich aromatic grass that originated from the Meghalaya region of India, grew well under the subtropical climatic conditions at Jammu. An oil obtained from this plant was found to be rich in elemicin (53.7%), a starting material for the antibacterical drug trimethoxyprim. Another valuable component of this same oil was (Z)-asarone (5–3%) which is used as antiallergic compound.

Essential oil composition of Ageratum houstonianum Mill. from Jammu region of India

ABSTRACT The chemical composition of the essential oil of Ageratum houstonianum Mill. was investigated by GC and GC/MS. The essential oil was found to be a mixture of about 50 chemical compounds, of which precocene I (23.34%), precocene II (43.99%) and β-caryophyllene (9.18%) were identified as major constituents. Other chromene derivatives, present in lower concentration, have been identified and reported.