Nepeta italica L. subsp. cadmea (Boiss.) A. L. Budantsev Oil Has a Pro-Apoptotic Effect on Saos-2 Cell Line

Nepeta sp. are used diuretic, anti-spasmodic, antiasthmatic, expectorant, cough suppressant, sedative, antiseptic, antipyretic, antiallergy and as a muscle relaxant. Besides, it also has many biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, anticancer, antiparasitic, antiplatelet, antiangiogenesis, antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, insecticide, cytotoxic, phytotoxic, genotoxic, and apoptotic activities. Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer in children and adolescents, and its diagnosis is difficult due to the known heterogeneous nature of its pathogenesis. Chemotherapy for osteosarcoma is far from satisfactory, especially because of the presence of metastases or poor response to combination chemotherapy. Various studies have been conducted to evaluate the anti-apoptotic, anticancer, and cytotoxic potentials of different essential oil extracts from different species of the Nepeta. This study was carried out to confirm the cytotoxic and apoptotic effect of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts (flower, leaf, seed and stem) of Nepeta italica subsp cadmea. To figure out apoptotic properties of N. italica subsp cadmea. MTT assay, qRT-PCR with Bcl‐2, caspase-9, Caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-7, caspase-10, Bax gene primer and TUNEL assay accomplished. IC50 dose of N. italica subsp. cadmea oil was 10 μg/ml at 24 hours. Expression analysis showed that caspase8, caspase 10 were upregulated while Bcl-2 was downregulated. TUNEL assay results show the similar number of apoptotic cells in the control group then the Nepeta group. Therefore, it showed pro-apoptotic activity in conjunction with the expression profile.