Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities of Volatile Constituents from the Subterranean Organs of Nephrolepis Cordifolia (l

Investigation of the chemical composition of the essential oils from subterranean organs (S) of Nephrolepis cordifolia (NC) and Nephrolepis exaltata (NE) (F. Lomariopsidaceae) grown in Egypt was carried out. Gas Chromatography/mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the hydro-distilled NCS and NES oils revealed that oxygenated compounds were abundant, being 55.35% and 33.85%, respectively. Ethyl palmitate (8%), ethyl linolenate (6.33%), β-ionone (5.99%), phytol (3.93%) diterpene alcohol and α-cadinol (3.3%) were the major identified constituents in NCS. Linalool (8.23%), thymol (4.47%), methyl palmitate (2.75%), α-cadinol (2.04%), geraniol (1.66%) and eugenol (1.53%) were the majors in NES. The volatile samples were screened for their antimicrobial activities using the agar diffusion technique and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). The essential oils exhibited potential antibacterial and antifungal activities against most of the tested microorganisms, with diameters of inhibition zones ranging from 17.1 ± 0.42 to 19.2 ± 0.29 mm and MIC values from 3.9 to15.63μg/ml. The cytotoxic activity was determined by MTT assay based on cell viability in breast (MCF-7), colon (HCT-116) and lung (A-549) carcinoma cells. The study revealed remarkable cytotoxicity of NCS oil. The presence of phytol (3.93%), α-Cadinol (3.30%), α-Ionone (2.36%) and β-Ionone (5.99%) significantly contributed to the potent cytotoxic activities of NCS oil.