GC-MS Analysis and Bioactivities of the Essential Oil of Suaeda aegyptiaca

Suaeda aegyptiaca is a halophytic plant widely growing in northeast Africa and Asia. The current study reports on the GC-MS analysis of S. aegyptiaca essential oil. The essential oil was prepared using three different methods: cold n-hexane extraction (CHE), hot n-hexane extraction (HHE), and hydro-distillation extraction (HDE). The GC-MS analysis detected twenty-eight compounds in both CHE (97.28%) and HHE (97.35%) and twenty compounds in HDE (98.65%). 2-methyloctacosane (48.72%); 11-decyldocosane (29.20%); and 1, 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid diisooctyl ester (57.87%) were the main constituents in CHE, HHE, and HDE, respectively. Free radical scavenging activity testing using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) revealed the notable anti-oxidant potential of HDE (IC50 0.358 mg/mL) compared to ascorbic acid (IC50 0.264 mg/mL). Moreover, in vitro anti-inflammatory activity testing using COX-1 and COX-2 showed the notable activity of HDE (IC50 5.50 µg/mL and 2.59 µg/mL, respectively). The observed anti-inflammatory activity of HDE was further confirmed by the characteristic decrease in TNF-α levels in RAW264.7 to 572.20 Pg/mL compared to the decrease of 442.80 Pg/mL caused by the positive control (Celecoxib®). On the other hand, a cytotoxic activity investigation indicated that CHE was the most potent against the Caco-2 and HCT-116 cell lines (IC50 8.11 and 11.18 µg/mL, respectively), and it was closely followed by HHE (IC50 12.42 µg/mL) against the Caco-2 cell line. Collectively, S. aegyptiaca essential oil prepared by the hydro-distillation method exhibited notable anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, while the same essential oil prepared by solvent extraction methods displayed a characteristic cytotoxic activity against the Caco-2 and HCT-116 cell lines. These results confirmed that different extraction methods greatly influence the biological potential of an essential oil, which, in turn, is attributable to the different constituents in each extract Moreover, S. aegyptiaca was noted as a promising halophytic plant for more phytochemical and biological investigations.