Isolation and Evaluation of Ferula Asafoetida Volatile Oil for Anti-hepatocarcinogenic Potential

Abstract

Introduction: Asafoetida resin has been reported to have various biological activities, but its use has been widely restricted owing to its pungent smell and poor water solubility. Ferula asafoetida has several medicinal uses, including treating asthma and paralysis. It is also an anthelmintic, sedative, expectorant, antiseptic, laxative, hepatoprotective and carminative. So, the present study was designed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of Ferula asafoetida against hepato- cellular carcinoma in in-vitro and in rats. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxicity of the essential oils was investigated using the human liver cancer cell line: Hep G2 and SK-Hep-1. In addition, the expression of NFKB1, TGFB1, TNF, and CASP3 was analysed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. In-vivo studies were done on rat models with liver cancer induction using DEN-AAF to confirm their in vitro effects against treatment efficacy. Histopathological examination of the liver was done by HE staining and a microflora study was carried out using RT-qPCR. Results: Ferula asafoetida volatile oil contains high concentrations of dithiolane, which possess antiproliferative activity in human liver carcinoma cell lines (HepG2 and SK-Hep1) in a dose-dependent manner. The bioactive compounds in F. asafoetida induced apoptosis and altered NF-kB and TGF-β signalling with an increase in caspase-3 and TNF-α expression. The results were confirmed in in-vivo studies where the targeted markers and microflora remained significantly different in rats treated with the essential oils after exposure to the toxins. Conclusion: Essential oils from F. asafoetida have the potential to prevent the hepatotoxic effects caused by DEN-AAF. Further studies on the elucidation of bioactive molecules in the essential oils of F. asafoetida and underlying mechanisms of action could lead to potential applications in liver cancer prevention in animal models.