Comparative metabolic study of Citrus sinensis leaves cultivars based on GC-MS and their cytotoxic activity

Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck, (family Rutaceae), known as sweet orange, is a fruit-bearing shrub that widely cultivated all over the world due to its nutritive value, nutraceutical attributes and economic importance. In the present study, a comparative metabolic profile study of the essential oils of the leaves of nine cultivars of Citrus sinensis cultivated in Egypt was carried out based on GC-MS analysis coupled to chemometrics. A total of 47 compounds were identified, where monoterpenes hydrocarbons (61.39 %-78.26 %) represented the main recognized class in the essential oils. Sabinene (8.25 %-28.81 %), 2-carene (11.25 %-16.72 %) and cis-beta-ocimene (10.22 %-13.93 %) were the major components identified in different cultivars. Chemometric analyses comprising Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) were experienced for their ability to discriminate between closely related cultivars. Both PCA score plot and HCA dendrogram could successfully segregate different cultivars based on their metabolic profiles. The MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of essential oils of Citrus sinensis leaves cultivars on different cell lines; MCF-7, HepG-2, HeLa, were all essential oils showed moderate cytotoxic activity. The MCF-7 cell lines were the most resistant cells with IC50 range from 243 to 343 mu g/mL, while HeLa cells were the most sensitive cell lines IC50 range from 203 to 283 mu g/mL. This may be attributed to the synergistic effects of different chemical components. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study compared the metabolic profiles of essential oils from the leaves of nine cultivars of Citrus sinensis cultivated in Egypt using GC-MS analysis and chemometrics. The essential oils showed moderate cytotoxic activity on different cell lines, with MCF-7 cells being the most resistant and HeLa cells being the most sensitive. This may be due to the synergistic effects of different chemical components.