Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: PubMed "essential oil" Med Oncol. 2026 Oct 20;43(11):336. doi: 10.1007/s12032-026-03462-9.ABSTRACTIn traditional medicine, natural plant-based treatments have played a key role in preventing and addressing different ailments. They are also considered an important source of bioactive compounds with potential pharmacological applications. The leaves of the widely known medicinal plant Piper betle are widely utilized in traditional medicine due to their biological qualities. The bioactive compounds found in the essential oil extracted from Piper betle leaves are especially abundant and are thought to have a major role in the plant's medicinal potential. In the current study, the antioxidant and anticancer properties of essential oil extracted from Piper betle leaves were objectively evaluated using in vitro experimental methods. To thoroughly investigate the essential oil's capacity to reduce oxidative stress, its antioxidant activity was evaluated using a variety of free radical scavenging assays, such as the DPPH, Hydrogen Peroxide, Superoxide Dismutase, and ABTS assays. The anticancer activity was investigated against human oral carcinoma (KB) cell lines by assessing cytotoxicity and membrane damage. The MTT assay was performed to assess cell viability at doses between 6.25 and 100 µg/mL, with an IC50 value determined to be 22.8 µg/mL, the essential oil demonstrated considerable antiproliferative activity and significant, concentration-dependent cytotoxicity against KB cells. In addition, the essential oil demonstrated pronounced antioxidant activity across all tested assays. The presence of many bioactive components with functional groups known to be important in scavenging free radicals and inhibiting cancer cells may be responsible for the reported biological activity. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of Piper betle leaf essential oil as a dual-action agent with notable anticancer and antioxidant capabilities.PMID:42900275 | DOI:10.1007/s12032-026-03462-9