The in vivo angiogenic evaluation of Achillea biebersteinii Afan. and Achillea teretifolia Willd. essential oils

In the present study, Achillea biebersteinii Afan. and Achillea teretifolia Willd. collected from Turkey were investigated for their in vivo angiogenic or antiangiogenic properties to correlate the folk medicine uses [1]. The essential oils were obtained from aerial parts by hydrodistillation, which were analyzed both by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), simultaneously. The main constituents of the oils were identified as 1,8-cineole (36, 34%) and camphor (22, 11%), respectively. Using the in vivo chick Chorio Allantoic Membrane (CAM) assay the oils and their main constituents were tested at various concentrations (5–50µg/pellet). As a result, A. teretifolia essential oil showed strong antiangiogenic effect with no irritation whereas, A. biebersteinii oil showed no antiangiogenic effect with slight irritation (>10%) at 50µg/pellet when compared with cortisone, suramin, thalidomide and sodium dodecyl sulphate. 1,8-Cineole and camphor showed weak to strong antiangiogenic effect with no irritation at the same concentration in a scoring system [2]. Furthermore, none of the tested samples showed embryotoxicity, confirming its safe use.

Acknowledgement: The authors would like to thank TUBITAK – SBAG-107S262 (3756) for financial support of the project.

References: 1. Baytop T (1999) Therapy with Medicinal Plants in Turkey 2nd Edition. Nobel Tıp Kitapevleri, İstanbul.

2. Krenn L, Paper DH (2009) Inhibition of angiogenesis and inflammation by an extract of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.). Phytomedicine 16(12): 1083–1088.