Essential oils from the leaves of the edible fern Stenochlaena palustris at different maturity stages and their cytotoxic activities

Stenochlaena palustris is an edible fern known for its potential therapeutic properties. The present study investigated the essential oils (EOs) extracted from the leaves of S. palustris at different maturity stages using hydrodistillation. The extracted EOs were analysed through gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). S. palustris EOs were found to be rich in fatty acids, with hexadecanoic acid being a predominant constituent. The cytotoxic activities of the EOs were assessed against various cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. Notably, the EOs from intermediate-stage leaves demonstrated inhibitory effects on cervical cancer HeLa cells, while the EOs from mature leaves exhibited pronounced selectivity for breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Nevertheless, the EOs from young leaves showed comparable cytotoxicity against the tested cancer cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 22.14 to 33.86 μg/mL. These results indicate that the cytotoxic potential of S. palustris EOs is influenced by the maturity stage of the leaves. The findings highlight the potential of S. palustris EOs as a source of cytotoxic agents. Further research is warranted to optimise their therapeutic application for targeted cancer treatments.