This research aimed to compare antioxidant and anticancer activities of the essential oil from various habitats of Selaginella doederleinii Hieron. The results showed that antioxidative activities of the essential oil were the best from Guizhou province in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging, ferric reducing and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), while those of the essential oil from Sichuan province were the weakest among different habitats. The anticancer results showed that antitumor effects of the essential oil from Guizhou province were the best against A549 cell line and 7721 cell line, while those of the essential oil from Sichuan province were the weakest among different habitats. Proliferative and antioxidant activities were correlated. The correlation coefficients (R2) between antioxidant and anticancer capacities varied from 0.71 to 0.94. The results of tests indicated that the antioxidant and anticancer activities of the essential oil from various habitats were great differences that might be affected by environmental variation, harvest seasons and so on. Investigation in vitro revealed that the essential oil of S. doederleinii were found to be effective in suppressing the oxidative activity and proliferation of cancer cells. This experiment provides scientific foundation for further utilization of S. doederleinii.
Keywords: Selaginella doederleinii Hieron; anticancer; antioxidant; essential oil.