Sea Medick Volatile Oil: Antioxidant, Insecticidal, In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity on SAF-1 Cells and Anti-Lipoxygenase Assessment via In Vitro and In Silico Methods.

Abstract

The Mediterranean plant Medicago marina L., native to North Africa, Spain, and Central Asia, is instrumental in the stabilization of coastal dunes and holds considerable economic significance. In addition to the plant's insecticidal potential against Tribolium castaneum, anti-lipoxygenase activity, and cytotoxic activity against SAF-1 cell lines, this study evaluated the antioxidant capacity of the essential oil, whose chemical composition was previously published in our paper. The observed antioxidant effect may be related to the reducing capacity and the strong electron donating properties of the essential oil components and may partially explain the insecticidal activity found, with a recorded 70.70% repellency after 1 h of exposure to the essential oil, compared with the control. The essential oil exhibited notable in vitro anti-lipoxygenase activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 0.01 ± 0.002 μg mL^-1 under the experimental conditions used. Moreover, molecular Docking outputs confirmed that the five main components of the essential oil bound well into the cavity of eukaryotic LOX-5 enzyme. Additionally, SAF-1 cell line cells were exposed to various concentrations of M. marina essential oil. The findings indicate that the viability of SAF-1 cells was significantly affected only at a concentration of 5 mg mL^-1. In conclusion, in addition to being a natural source of anti-inflammatory chemicals for pharmaceutical uses, Medicago marina essential oil may also be an environmentally beneficial way to keep stored goods safe from bug infestations. The biological activities observed may reflect the combined effects of the major constituents of the essential oil, particularly in relation to its pronounced insecticidal, cytotoxic, antioxidant and anti-lipoxygenase effects.