Open AccessCytotoxicity of clove ( Syzygium aromaticum ) oil and its major components to human skin cells
Author(s) -
Prashar A.,
Locke I. C.,
Evans C. S.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
cell proliferation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.647
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-2184
pISSN - 0960-7722
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2184.2006.00384.x
Subject(s) - eugenol , syzygium , cytotoxic t cell , traditional medicine , essential oil , cytotoxicity , in vitro , chemistry , biology , medicine , food science , biochemistry , organic chemistry
. The essential oil extracted from clove ( Syzygium aromaticum ) is used as a topical application to relieve pain and promote healing in herbal medicine and also finds use in the fragrance and flavouring industries. Clove oil has two major components, eugenol and β‐caryophyllene, which constitute 78% and 13% of the oil, respectively. Clove oil and these components are generally recognized as ‘safe’, but the in‐vitro study here demonstrates cytotoxic properties of both the oil and eugenol, towards human fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Clove oil was found to be highly cytotoxic at concentrations as low as 0.03% (v/v) with up to 73% of this effect attributable to eugenol. β‐caryophyllene did not exhibit any cytotoxic activity, indicating that other cytotoxic components may also exist within the parent oil.