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. 2024 Aug 30;25(17):9417.
doi: 10.3390/ijms25179417.

Evaluation of Chemical Profile and Biological Properties of Extracts of Different Origanum vulgare Cultivars Growing in Poland

Izabela Betlej  1 , Natalia Żurek  2 , Tomasz Cebulak  2 , Ireneusz Kapusta  2 , Maciej Balawejder  3 , Anna Kiełtyka-Dadasiewicz  4   5 , Sławomir Jaworski  6 , Agata Lange  6 , Marta Kutwin  6 , Barbara Krochmal-Marczak  7 , Teresa Kłosińska  1 , Barbara Nasiłowska  8 , Zygmunt Mierczyk  8 , Piotr Borysiuk  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of Chemical Profile and Biological Properties of Extracts of Different Origanum vulgare Cultivars Growing in Poland

Izabela Betlej et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

This research studied the phenolic content compared with the antioxidant properties of various O. vulgare (Lamiaceae) cultivars grown in Poland. The research results in this paper indicate that the dominant ingredient in all oregano cultivars was rosmarinic acid, known for its strong antioxidant properties. The highest amounts of rosmarinic acid (87.16 ± 4.03 mg/g dm) were identified in the O. vulgare spp. hirtum (Link) Ietsw. Other metabolites identified in the studied extracts include luteolin O-di-glucuronide-O-di-pentoside (30.79 ± 0.38 mg/g dm in the 'Aureum' cultivar), 4'-O-glucopyranosyl-3', 4'-dihydroxy benzyl-protocatechuate (19.84 ± 0.60 mg/g dm in the 'Margerita' cultivar), and p-coumaroyl-triacetyl-hexoside (25.44 ± 0.18 mg/g dm in the 'Margerita' cultivar). 'Hot & spicy' and 'Margerita' cultivars were characterized by the highest activity in eliminating OH• and O2•- radicals. Extracts from Greek oregano had the highest ability to scavenge DPPH radicals and chelate iron ions. This research has also provided new evidence that oregano has anti-migratory, cytotoxic properties and influences the viability of gastric cancer cells (the highest cytotoxicity was attributed to the 'Hot & spicy' cultivar, which performed the worst in antioxidant properties tests). Extracts from the tested cultivars at a concentration of 0.625% effectively inhibited the growth of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa bacteria. It seems that the oregano grown in Poland is of good quality and can be successfully grown on a large scale if the appropriate use is found.

Keywords: Origanum vulgare; antimicrobial activity; antioxidant activity; cytotoxicity; polyphenols.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Results of the anticancer activity of the 4th species of oregano extract against AGS cells. (A) Representative images of AGS cells in a wound healing assay after treatment with a non-toxic concentration of oregano extract. The percentage of wound closure was assessed 24 and 48 h after scratching. (B) Graph showing the percentage of wound closure. It should be noted that 100% means complete closure of the wound. (C) Representative images of AGS-stained cells in the clonogenic assay. (D) Graph showing the percentage of AGS cell colony formation 14 days after treatment with the tested oregano extract. Untreated cells were used as controls. (E) Representative images of AGS-stained cells in the migration and invasion assay. (F,G) Graphs showing the percentage of inhibition of AGS cell migration and invasion as a result of treatment with oregano extract. Untreated cells were used as controls. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Data are expressed as mean and SD. Significant differences (* < 0.05, ** < 0.01, *** < 0.001) were assessed using the Student’s t-test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of O. vulgare L. (sample O1) on cell viability (a) C. albicans, (b) P. aeruginosa, and (c) S. aureus. Results are presented as a mean ± standard deviation. Statistically significant differences (p-value ≤ 0.05) are marked with ‘*’ compared to the control.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of Greek oregano O. vulgare spp. hirtum (Link) Ietsw. (sample O2) on cell viability (a) C. albicans, (b) P. aeruginosa, and (c) S. aureus. Results are presented as a mean ± standard deviation. Statistically significant differences (p-value ≤ 0.05) are marked with ‘*’ compared to the control.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of O. vulgare L. ‘Margerita’ (sample O3) on cell viability (a) C. albicans, (b) P. aeruginosa, and (c) S. aureus. Results are presented as a mean ± standard deviation. Statistically significant differences (p-value ≤ 0.05) are marked with ‘*’ compared to the control.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of O. vulgare L. ‘Hot & spicy’ (sample O4) on cell viability (a) C. albicans, (b) P. aeruginosa, and (c) S. aureus. Results are presented as a mean ± standard deviation. Statistically significant differences (p-value ≤ 0.05) are marked with ‘*’ compared to the control.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of O. vulgare L. ‘Aureum’ (sample O5) on cell viability (a) C. albicans, (b) P. aeruginosa, and (c) S. aureus. Results are presented as a mean ± standard deviation. Statistically significant differences (p-value ≤ 0.05) are marked with ‘*’ compared to the control.
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