ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The chemical composition of Handal (Citrullus colocynthis L.) seed oil cultivated in Jordan deserts was characterized, and its bioactivity was evaluated. METHODS: The oil was extracted from the grinded seeds in 500 ml Soxhlet extractor for 24 hr using n-hexane, and the recovered fatty acids were methylated with methanolic-HCL. The fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) composition was analyzed using GC-MS and GC-FID. The anticancer activity associated with the oil was assessed against colon cancer cell lines (Caco-2 and HCT-116) and compared to its cytotoxicity on the human skin fibroblast. Multivariate analysis was used to determine relationship of the fatty acid composition with that of the anticancer activity. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that fatty acid composition of Citrullus colocynthis seed oil chiefly contains Linoleic acid, denoted as C18:2n6 (75%), followed by Palmitic acid C16:0 (8%), Stearic acid C18:0 (5%), and Oleic acid C18:1n9 (9%). It is demonstrated as an excellent source of essential fatty acids omega-6 (e.g., Linoleic acid), whereas omega-3 (e.g., α-Linolenic acid) and hydroxy polyunsaturated fatty acids are found at small level. Interestingly, the oil exhibited reasonable anticancer effects against colorectal cancer cell lines with IC50 values varying between 4 and 7 mg/ml. The correlation test revealed a relationship between the fatty acid composition and the effectiveness on treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Handal plant from Jordan appears to have very high level of Linoleic acid compared to other oils measured in different geographic locations and that there appears to be some anticancer activities associated with the fatty acid content of Handal seed oil.
ABSTRACT
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX) are known to affect environmental air and health quality. In this study, the levels of BTEX compounds were determined in indoor air environments during the winter generated by several different heaters: diesel pot-bellied heater with chimney (DH); electric heater (EH); unfluted gas heater (GH); kerosene heater (KH); and wood pot-bellied heater with chimney (WH). The samples were collected using a diffusion passive adsorbent (activated charcoal) and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the heaters differ in the quantity of BTEX released during operation. The KH was the most polluted heater based on BTEX measurement, followed by DH. The ∑BTEX for heaters were observed as follows: KH (290 µg m-3); DH (120 µg m-3); GH (84 µg m-3); WH (31 µg m-3); EH (16 µg m-3). Toluene was the predominant compound in all air samples. In KH and DH, the toluene to benzene ratios (T/B) were higher than 4 due to fuel evaporation, while GH had a T/B ratio of 3.9, indicating that the combustion of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was the main source. Moreover, a risk assessment was performed to evaluate where the cancer risks (CR) for benzene and ethylbenzene exceeded the critical values (10-6). KH was found to be the most harmful heater for residents, followed by DH and GH. For non-carcinogenic compounds, hazard quotients (HQ) were found to be less than one and thus unlikely to cause health problems.
