Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic Activity of the Leaf Essential Oil of <i>Ocotea tonduzii</i> from Monteverde, Costa Rica

Abstract

The leaf essential oil of Ocotea tonduzii from Monteverde, Costa Rica has been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. The principal constituents of O. tonduzii leaf oil were the monoterpenes α-pinene (41.4%) and pinene (25.1%) and the sesquiterpenes α-humulene (6.9%), β-caryophyllene (5.8%), and germacrene D (3.8%). O. tonduzii leaf oil was notably cytotoxic on MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and UACC-257 cells in vitro. The major essential oil components showed cytotoxic activities comparable to doxorubicin ( LC 50 , 20–70 μg/mL).