Essential oils of Pulicaria odora L: chemical composition and effect on anti-aging gene expression in human keratinocyte cells

In traditional Moroccan medicine, the roots of Pulicaria odora L. (PO) are used against menstrual cramps and intestinal disorders and are highly valued as a spice for their flavor. Several natural compounds are characterized by various biological properties such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-aging.

In this study, PO essential oil (EO) is evaluated for the first time for its effect i) on the HTERT gene, a catalytic enzyme that is required for telomerase activity, ii) on the human keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), a secreted protein that could play an important role in the repair of skin injury and that has also been implicated to play a role in other diseases, iii) and on the Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) which plays an essential role in regulating the cell cycle and energy homeostasis. The EO of PO roots was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS. We used Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR) to determine the effect of the EO on expression levels of KGF, SIRT1, and HTERT genes in HaCaT cells.

We have identified 22 volatile compounds representing 93.76% of the oil by GC/MS. The oil was dominated by oxygenated compounds with about 93.32% against only 0.44% of terpene hydrocarbons. The KGF expression level in HaCaT cells exposed to EO is found to be significantly higher than resveratrol (RSV) (p<0.05). Also, the EO and resveratrol have induced a similar activity on HTERT and SIRT1 expression (p<0.05).