| Abstract Detail
Economic Botany: Ethnobotany Gray, Sandra [1], Murphy, Christine [2], Ellis, Jane [3]. The Bioactivity of Carolina Sapphire (Cupressus arizonica var ‘Carolina Sapphire'). Cypress oil has been used medicinally as an astringent and tonic for the skin, cosmetically to treat broken capillaries and varicose veins, as an immune system stimulant, and as a sedative. Historically, cypress oil is derived from Cypressus semipervirens, an evergreen tree native to the eastern Mediterranean region. Arizona Cypress (Cupressus arizonica) is a species of cypress similar to the Mediterranean Cypress but native to the southwest North America. ‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Cupressus arizonica var glabra ‘Carolina Sapphire’) is a cultivar of the Arizona Cypress selected in 1968 from germinated wild Arizona Cypress seeds and developed by Clemson University in cooperation with the South Carolina Forestry Commission. This tree’s steel blue-gray foliage emits a mint, lemon-lime and cedar aromatic scent. Although no ethnobotanical uses for the Arizona Cypress have been reported, the unique color and pleasing scent of this new cultivar prompted the investigation of leaf oil composition and activity. Needles were collected from terminal branches of ‘Carolina Sapphire’ trees growing in the Piedmont region of South Carolina in 2006. Hydro-distillation was used to produce essential oil and hydrosol fractions analyzed in this study. GC-MS was used to determine the volatile components of the oil. Various bioassays were performed on the essential oil and hydrosol. In preliminary antitumor tests using Agrobacterium tumefaciens there were no reductions in tumor numbers with the essential oil. Inhibition of cell proliferation in the MCF-7 human breast cancer line was determined by the MTS assay. Interaction of the oil with human recombinant estrogen receptor b in a competitive binding assay suggests potential estrogenic activity. The undiluted hydrolat inhibited germination and radicle growth completely in radish seed bioassays, while the oil was inhibitory at concentrations less than 1000 ppm. LD50 was determined to be 300 ppm using the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) bioassay.
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1 - Clemson University, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
2 - Clemson University, Entomology, Soils, and Plant Sciences, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
3 - Presbyterian College, Biology, Clinton, SC, 29635, USA
Keywords:
Carolina Sapphire
Cupressus arizonica
Essential Oil
GC-MS
Bioassays
Estrogen Binding.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: P67003
Abstract ID:2207 |
