Chemical Composition and antiproliferative activity of essential oil from the leaves of a medicinal herb, Levisticum officinale, against UMSCC1 head and neck squamous carcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a challenging disease with a high mortality rate. Natural products represent a valuable source for the development of novel anticancer drugs. We investigated the cytotoxic potential of essential oil from the leaves of a medicinal plant, Levisticum officinale (lovage) on head and neck squamous carcinoma cells (HNSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Cytotoxicity of lovage essential oil was investigated on the HNSCC cell line, UMSCC1. Additionally, we performed pharmacogenomics analyses. RESULTS Lovage essential oil extract had an IC₅₀ value of 292.6 μg/ml. Genes involved in apoptosis, cancer, cellular growth and cell cycle regulation were the most prominently affected in microarray analyses. The three pathways to be most significantly regulated were extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) signaling, integrin-linked kinase (ILK) signaling, virus entry via endocytic pathways and p53 signaling. CONCLUSION Levisticum officinale essential oil inhibits human HNSCC cell growth.