Cytotoxic effects of chitosan nanoparticles containing Satureja khuzistanica essential oil and carvacrol against melanoma cancer

Aim and Background: The second leading cause of mortality is cancer in 2019 after heart diseases worldwide, as reported by World Health Organization (WHO). Essential oils (EOs) as natural oil are a mixture of different hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds such as phenol derivatives, aromatic components, terpenoids, and terpenes. The preparation of EO-based nanoformulations is a promising approach for improving the biological effects of EOs. Methods: In this research, components S. khuzistanica EOs was first investigated using GC-MS analysis. The cytotoxic effect of S. khuzistanica EOs and Carvacrol (its major ingredients) were then investigated against A-375 (human melanoma cancer cell line). After that, chitosan nanoparticles (ChiNPs ) containing S. khuzistanica EO and Carvacrol were prepared, and their cytotoxic effect on the cancer cell line was also investigated. Results and discussion: The cytotoxic effect of chitosan nanoparticles containing Satureja khuzistanica essential oil (IC50 = 78.8 µg/mL) was more potent than other samples on A-375 cell. However, chitosan nanoparticles containing Carvacrol indicated a more potent anticancer effect than other samples (IC50 = 43.5 µg/mL). Conclusion: As the nanoformulations promising efficacies and green constituents, they are thus good candidates for further research in animal models.