Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens) is a culinary herb with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. It incorporates a variety of volatile oils, including thymol and carvacrol (which give the herb its characteristic scent and flavor), as well as chemopreventive flavonoids such as apigenin, luteolin, naringenin, and quercetin.
Now a new study has reported that Mexican Oregano extract induces apoptosis (a type of programmed cell death) in triple negative (ER-/PR-/HER2-) breast cancer cells without harming normal cells.
Mexican oregano is native to the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Central America. It's volatile oil components give it a flavor and scent similar to the Mediterranean-derived common oregano. However, Mexican oregano is part of the verbena plant family, not oregano's mint family.

Latest research finds Mexican oregano induces TN cell death

The study referenced above was designed to investigate the mechanism of action by which Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens Kunth) inhibits proliferation of MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cells. The authors assessed the flavonoid content of Mexican oregano extract using ESI-QTOF-MS/MS chromatography. Naringenin (having the highest concentration), quercetin, luteolin, and apigenin, all were identified; each of these phytonutrients are known to have anti-proliferative potential.
The authors first evaluated the cytotoxicity of the extract in a normal human fibroblast cell line (CCD-18Co), determining that it did not cause cell death at the evaluated concentration (150 μg/mL).
The authors then treated triple negative breast cancer cells using the same extract concentration. This was found to activate proteins associated with cell death (observed using Western blot) — the previous antiproliferative activities of the extract might be explained by the activation of this apoptosis pathway, according to the authors. The authors conclude that future research into the potential of polyphenol extract of Mexican oregano in supporting breast cancer treatment is warranted.
Please see our triple negative diet and Mexican oregano webpages for more information.