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Although several studies show that Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi fruits are a promising source of bioactive compounds, few studies have investigated the anticancer activity of its essential oil (EO). The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the antiproliferative activity of S. terebinthifolius fruit EO against eight human tumor cell lines. A central composite rotatable design with 11 experiments was developed to investigate the optimal conditions of hydrodistillation by Clevenger apparatus. EO obtained at optimized conditions (yield greater than 6.7%) showed potent activity for all cell lines investigated; the most promising results were observed against leukemia, kidney, multidrug-resistant ovarian, and prostate tumor cell lines. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the following major compounds in the EO: δ-3-carene (33.78-36.73%), α-phellandrene (15.67-17.30%), limonene (15.03-16.32%), α-pinene (7.03-9.20%), and germacrene D (4.98-6.99%). Future work involving fractionation of the EO might shed some light on the compounds responsible for each antiproliferative activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi is a South American plant with medicinal properties. We report the extraction of compounds from S. terebinthifolius fruits using supercritical CO 2 (scCO 2 ), with emphasis on the effects of scCO 2 pressure (100–300 bar) and temperature (40–60 °C) on global yield, volatile compounds, and antiproliferative activity against nine human tumor cell lines. Supercritical extracts obtained at 50–60 °C, independently of pressure, showed potent activity against kidney cancer with total growth inhibition <3.9 μg/mL. Furthermore, extracts obtained at 200 bar and 50 °C showed potent activity against multidrug-resistant ovarian, prostate, and ovarian tumor cell lines, and glioma. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the following volatile compounds: δ -3-carene, α -phellandrene, limonene, germacrene D, and caryophyllene. The results suggest that sesquiterpenes may be the metabolites responsible for the antiproliferative activity. However, future work involving fractionation of the extracts might shed light on the chemical compounds responsible for each antiproliferative activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]