The chemical composition of Populus balsamifera essential oils obtained from spring buds, fall buds, and young leaves were determined by GC and GC-MS analyses. The major constituent, (+)-α-bisabolol, a rare sesquiterpene, was isolated from spring oil using reverse-phase preparative HPLC. The cytotoxic activity of balsam poplar oils and isolated (+)-α-bisabolol was assessed in vitro against human lung carcinoma (A549) and colorectal adenocarcinoma (DLD-1) cell lines. Essential oils were cytotoxic with IC50 ranging from 35 to 50 μg/mL. (+)-α-Bisabolol exhibited pronounced activity (IC50 14 μg/mL) against both cancer cell lines. It also exhibited interesting cytotoxic activity (IC50 23 μg/mL) against human glioma (U251), higher than the one observed for (-)-α-bisabolol (IC50 34 μg/mL), which is known for its apoptosis-inducing effect against glioma cells.
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