Chemical Composition, Antifungal, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Potential of Apium graveolens L. (Celery) Leaves Essential Oil Collected from Nainital, Uttarakhand

Essential oils (EOs) extracted from aromatic plants are a potential source of several bioactive compounds. In the present study, hydro-distillation of Apium graveolens essential oil (AG-EO) was carried out and its chemical constituents were analyzed using Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC/MS) followed by examination of its antifungal, antioxidant, and cytotoxic potential against human breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231. Analysis of EO resulted in the identification of nineteen (19) compounds majorly in 1,2-diphenyl-1,2-ethanediol (65.2%), 3-butyl phthalide (9.1%), limonene (6.4%), 1,1-dimethyl-1,2,3,5,7,8,9,9a-octahydro-benzocyclohepten-6-one (5.6%). Further, antifungal activity of A. graveolens EO (AG-EO) against three soil borne phytopathogenic fungal strains namely Fusarium oxysporum, Curvularia lunata, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum showed significant mycelial growth inhibition at a concentration of 500 mu g/mL with IC50 value ranging between 966-220.76 mu g/mL. The antioxidant potential of EO was evaluated using dedicated spectrophotometric assays such as FRAP and DPPH. Results revealed the free radical scavenging potential of AG-EO with the value of 7.71 +/- 0.04 mM AAE/100g (for DPPH assay) and 8.31 +/- 0.03 mM AAE/100g (for FRAP assay). Additionally, the percentage of cell survival of MDA-MD-231 human breast cancer cells after treatment with EO was about 68% at 24h showing the cytotoxic effect of AG-EO against breast cancer cells whereas for non-malignant control HEK 293T cells it was about 83%. The present study indicated that the antioxidant, antifungal, and cytotoxic potential of AG-EO, a natural source of bioactive compounds, could be employed in the food, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and cosmetics industries. However, further evaluations on animal models and clinical studies are warranted.