Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of the Essential Oil Isolated from the Leaves of Achillea fragrantissima Growing Wild in Yemen

Background: Yemen is diverse in its geography and rich in its natural flora. Achillea fragrantissima grown wild in Yemen is widely used in folkloric medicine. Objectives: To investigate the chemical composition, cytotoxicity, xanthine oxidase inhibitory and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of the essential oil isolated form the leaves of Achillea fragrantissima (Forssk.) Sch. Bip. growing wild in Yemen. Materials and Methods: The oil was collected after hydrodistillation for 3 h, the oil composition was analyzed by GC-MS and assayed for biological activities. Results: Artemisia ketone (49.53%), camphor (14.73%), α-bisabolol (11.20%), α-bisabolol oxide B (2.62%) were the main components of the oil. The MTT assay of the oil on two human colorectal cancer cell lines (SW480 and HCT-116) showed IC₅₀ values of 110.1 and 134.6 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. Xanthine oxidase inhibitory and tyrosinase inhibitory activity assays were performed but exhibited only marginal activities. Conclusion: the components of the essential oil could be excellent anticancer drugs for treatment of colon cancer.