The purpose of this study was to determine the chemical compositions, antioxidant and anticancer activities and thermal behavior of essential oils (EOs) obtained by a microwave assisted Clevenger apparatus from Mentha longifolia subsp. typhoides var. typhoides (ML), Thymus kotschyanus var. glabrescens (TK), Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta (CN) and Satureja cuneifolia (SC) in Osmaniye, Turkey. Nepetalactone (34.23 %), thymol (37.40 %), piperitone oxide (27.25 %), and carvacrol (28.34 %) were major compounds in the EOs of ML, TK, CN, and SC. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (by FRAP assay) were in the range of 0.27-3.01 mg gallic acid equivalents and 0.62-171.14 μmol trolox equivalent per g EO, respectively. IC50 values of DPPH were mostly greater than ABTS. IC50 levels of the EOs of ML, TK, CN for the cytotoxic activities were 195.7, 265.7, 442.9 μg/ml, and 218.4, 204.2, 133.9 μg/ml for 24 and 48 h, respectively. IC50 of SC-EO could not be calculated in the applied concentration range. The highest fusion enthalpies were in between 58.72 and 81.65 kJ/kg. Both the TK and SC plant EOs had comparable and significant bioactivities. CN-EO reduced cell motility and triggered apoptosis more effectively than the others.
Keywords: Calamintha; Mentha; Satureja; Thymus; bioactivity.
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