Alpha-phellandrene-induced apoptosis in mice leukemia WEHI-3 cells in vitro

Although reports have shown that α-phellandrene (α-PA) is one of the monoterpenes and is often used in the food and perfume industry, our previous studies have indicated that α-PA promoted immune responses in normal mice in vivo. However, there is no available information to show that α-PA induced cell apoptosis in cancer cells, thus, we investigated the effects of α-PA on the cell morphology, viability, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis in mice leukemia WEHI-3 cells in vitro. Results indicated that α-PA induced cell morphological changes and decreased viability, induced G0/G1 arrest and sub-G1 phase (apoptosis) in WEHI-3 cells. α-PA increased the productions of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca