Abnormal mitotic spindle assembly and cytokinesis induced by D-Limonene in cultured mammalian cells

d-Limonene is found widely in citrus and many other plant species; it is a major constituent of many essential oils and is used as a solvent for commercial purposes. With the discovery of its chemotherapeutic properties against cancer, it is important to investigate the biological effects of the exposure to d-Limonene and elucidate its, as yet unknown, mechanism of action. We reported here that d-Limonene is toxic in V79 Chinese hamster cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, to determine the cellular target of d-Limonene, we performed morphological observations and immunocytochemical analysis and we showed that this drug has a direct effect on dividing cells preventing assembly of mitotic spindle microtubules. This affects both chromosome segregation and cytokinesis, resulting in aneuploidy that in turn can lead to cell death or genomic instability.