Composition and in-vitro cytotoxic activities of the leaf essential oil of Beilschmiedia erythrophloia from Taiwan.

This study investigated the chemical composition and in-vitro cytotoxic activities of the essential oil isolated from the leaf of Beilschmiedia erythrophloia. The essential oil was isolated using hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus, and characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS. Fifty-five compounds were identified, representing 100% of the oil. The main components identified were beta-caryophyllene (22.6%), alpha-humulene (21.9%), terpinen-4-ol (5.3%), cis-beta-ocimene (5.1%), sabinene (5.0%) and limonene (4.5%). The anticancer activities of oil were evaluated. The results showed that the oil exhibited cytotoxic activity against human oral, liver, lung, colon, melanoma, and leukemic cancer cells.