## 4 Discussion  
Ingredients of essential oils/extracts from aromatic herbs and dietary/medicinal plants include, but are not limited to, phenols and terpenes--compounds that, alone or in synergy with others, can modulate metabolic processes in human body cells [35; 36]. The action of these compounds based on antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, and antiproliferative mechanisms, improves immune function and induces enzymes that intensify metabolic processes, including resistance to the harmful oxidative effects of external environment factors, such as UV radiation as well as the modulation of resistance to many drugs [37; 38]. Therefore, natural oils/extracts, including _S. hortenis_ L., may play an important role in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, including cancer. UVB radiation used in this study was chosen as an example of a pro-oxidative environmental factor characterized by repetitive, strong and direct action. Additionally, this factor affecting every person regardless of age, work, place of residence, as well as it is also often used in phototherapy, in contrast to the UVA that requires the additional use of a psoralen sensitization. Also, it is not possible to select a universal radiation dose that would transpose the average exposure of human skin to the dose having the same effect in in vitro cultured skin cells. That was the reason for choosing only the UVB radiation in dose, causing significant changes in cell metabolism, especially in the field of redox homeostasis. The results of this study show that terpenes predominate among volatile substances of _S. hortenis_ L. extract, especially carvacrol. However, in the alcohol extract large amounts of phenolic compounds are observed, especially rutin and rosmary acid, which is visible, especially also in the V2 phase. The studies published by other researchers reveal different results, when _Satureja hortenis_ L. raw material samples are collected from various natural sampling sites. Studies carried out by [PERSON] et al. (2003) and [PERSON] et al. (2012) demonstrated that thymol and \(\gamma\)-terpinene are the predominant components of essential oil. Carvacrol, p-cymene, \(\beta\)-myrcene, and \(\alpha\)-terpinene were determined at lower  
Figure 6: The level of MDA in melanocytes (**A**,**B**) and melanoma cells (**C**,**D**) following treatment with extract of _Satureja hortenis_ L. (concentration range 12.5–100 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro g}\)/mL) and/or UVB (300 mJ/cm\({}^{2}\)) irradiation. Mean values \(\pm\) SD of three independent experiments are presented. x statistically significant differences vs. control group (0 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro g}\)/mL), \(p\) < 0.05.  
concentrations [17; 39]. Comparative studies conducted by [PERSON] et al. (2004) indicated that essential oils obtained from _S. hortensis_ L. cultivated in Turkey possess prevailing quantities of carvacrol. However, the samples collected from natural sampling sites possess predominant component-thymol [40]. Carvacrol and thymol are reported to be antioxidant compounds in essential oil of savory compounds that possess antioxidant activity [10]. Due to the high content of biologically active compounds in the _S. hortensis_ L. extract, they can modify the metabolism of skin cells. The survival of skin cells, especially melanoma, was significantly reduced by extracts F2 and F3, which can be attributed to the relatively high concentrations of nonvolatile polyphenols rutin, rosmarinic acid, and the high level of volatile monoterpenoid phenol--carvacrol contained in the extracts. Literature data indicate that carvacrol, the dominant monoterpen also in _S. montana_ L., very strongly inhibits cell growth in various cell models, particularly in the A549 tumor cell line [41]. In addition, a comparative assessment of the cytotoxicity of _S.