INVESTIGATION OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF STACHYS OFFICINALIS (L.) TREVISAN SUBSP. BALCANICA (P.W. BALL) R. BHATTACHARJEE ESSENTIAL OIL

Objective: This study focuses on Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevisan subsp. balcanica (P.W. Ball) R. Bhattacharjee aiming to elucidate its essential oil's chemical composition and evaluate its potential in cancer treatment. Material and Method: In this study, plant specimens were collected from Bolu province, Turkey. The collected plant material was authenticated and prepared according to herbarium techniques. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus. Thin layer chromatography was employed for preliminary analysis of the essential oil's compound groups. For further chemical component separation and identification, gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used. Antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities were assessed via the MTT assay on Caco-2 colon cancer cells and Vero normal cells. Result and Discussion: Phytochemical analysis of S. officinalis subsp. balcanica essential oil (SOBEO) identified 32 compounds, representing 82.7% of the oil, with α-selinene (12.1%), β-selinene (11.4%), and β-caryophyllene (7.2%) as the major constituents. Several components uncommon in other Stachys species suggest chemovarietal diversity. SOBEO (5 μg/ml) inhibited Caco-2 colon cancer cell growth by 41.56% at 48 h, while showing no significant cytotoxicity toward Vero cells. This study provides the first comprehensive characterization of the chemical profile and anticancer potential of this subspecies, addressing a key gap in current knowledge.