Antioxidant activities of five essential oils (cinnamon, thyme, clove, lavender and peppermint oils) and their major components (eugenol, thymol, linalool, and menthol) were evaluated on scavenging DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl) free radicals, inhibiting polyunsaturated fatty acid oxidation in fish oil emulsion (FOE), and reducing oxidative stress in human red blood cells (RBC). The essential oils from cinnamon, thyme, clove and their main components, eugenol and thymol, exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in the FOE and RBC systems. It was found that the antioxidant activity of essential oils was positively correlated to the content of eugenol and thymol, while lavender and peppermint oils and their main components, linalool and menthol, had very low antioxidant activity. Compared with scavenging DPPH free radical activity, the antioxidant activity in FOE and RBC systems could better reflect the actual antioxidant potential of essential oil in preventing lipid oxidation and reducing oxidative stress in biological system.

This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms by which dandelion extract inhibits the proliferation of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. Dandelion root and leaf extracts were prepared using a heat reflux method and subjected to solvent gradient extraction to obtain fractions with different polarities. MTT assays revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on cell proliferation. LC-MS analysis identified 12 potential active compounds, including sesquiterpenes such as Isoalantolactone and Artemisinin, which showed significantly lower toxicity toward normal mammary epithelial MCF-10A cells compared to tumor cells (p < 0.01). Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the extract induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, with an apoptosis rate as high as 85.04%, and significantly arrested the cell cycle at the S and G2/M phases. Label-free quantitative proteomics identified 137 differentially expressed proteins (|FC| > 2, p < 0.05). GO enrichment analysis indicated that these proteins were mainly involved in cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the antitumor effects were primarily mediated through the regulation of PI3K-Akt (hsa04151), JAK-STAT (hsa04630), and PPAR (hsa03320) signaling pathways. Moreover, differential proteins such as PI3K, AKT1S1, SIRT6, JAK1, SCD, STAT3, CASP8, STAT2, STAT6, and PAK1 showed strong correlation with the core components of the EA-2 fraction of dandelion. Molecular docking results demonstrated that these active compounds exhibited strong binding affinities with key target proteins such as PI3K and JAK1 (binding energy < −5.0 kcal/mol). This study elucidates the multi-target, multi-pathway synergistic mechanisms by which dandelion extract inhibits breast cancer, providing a theoretical basis for the development of novel antitumor agents.