Evaluation of Antioxidant-Rich Mexican Oregano (Lippia graveolens) Infusion and Carvacrol: Impact on Metabolic Activity and Cytotoxicity in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

The investigation of alternatives for the management of breast cancer (BC), has led to the study of extracts of plant origin and their compounds, within these, the extracts of oregano variants and carvacrol (Cv) have shown promising results, however, the Mexican oregano (L. graveolens) infusion (MoI) has not been studied, so the aims of this work are; to characterize the plant used, and to compare against Cv, the impact on the metabolism and cytotoxicity of BC cell lines. Within the characterization of the plant, moisture, ash, protein, available carbohydrates, ethereal extraction and dietary fiber were determined, additionally, for the MoI characterization antioxidant capacity analysis; ABTS, DPPH, phenols, flavonoids and Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were carried, as well as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to evaluate the composition of the extract, for anticancer activity 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were performed. The results demonstrated that MoI possesses potent antioxidant activity and antiproliferative effect against BC cell lines, with lower cytotoxicity on non-cancer cells compared to Cv. However, both the infusion and Cv caused a reduction in cell metabolism, with Cv having the most acute effect. Thus, the present investigation provides evidence on the efficacy of these alternative treatments in BC cell lines, including aggressive subtypes such as triple negative (TN).