Our treatment demonstrated the ability to kill metastatic human melanoma cells, for which there are very few effective therapeutic approaches. Use of a specific Essential Oil (EO) to inhibit the replication of human metastatic melanoma cells. This EO can be used both for direct application to the skin, and administered by mouth to reach both primary and metastatic melanomas. The use of this oil has also been shown to improve the effect of anticancer drugs such as Tamoxifen and Paclitaxel, and can therefore be tested in co-administration with drugs and / or integrated anti-melanoma therapies to verify their possible synergy in the induction of tumor cytotoxicity and, consequently, the reduction of drug doses. This would therefore allow: a. to reduce the doses of chemotherapy drugs; b. to decrease the consequent adverse effects they induce in patients and improve their quality of life; c. to lower costs for the NHS.
Our treatment with specific EO blocks the cell cycle of human metastatic melanoma cells because it acts on the regulation of intracellular oxidative stress (ROS), metabolically active intracellular iron homeostasis (Fe2 +), and the integrity of the mitochondrial membrane. This treatment determines an increase in ROS and Fe2 +, and a depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, which leads to the death of 50% of the cells treated at 24 hours. If given again, after the first 24 hours, it causes 100% cell death. The same effect does not appear on healthy human cells.