Biological effects of essential oils--a review
- PMID: 17996351
- DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106
Biological effects of essential oils--a review
Abstract
Since the middle ages, essential oils have been widely used for bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal, antiparasitical, insecticidal, medicinal and cosmetic applications, especially nowadays in pharmaceutical, sanitary, cosmetic, agricultural and food industries. Because of the mode of extraction, mostly by distillation from aromatic plants, they contain a variety of volatile molecules such as terpenes and terpenoids, phenol-derived aromatic components and aliphatic components. In vitro physicochemical assays characterise most of them as antioxidants. However, recent work shows that in eukaryotic cells, essential oils can act as prooxidants affecting inner cell membranes and organelles such as mitochondria. Depending on type and concentration, they exhibit cytotoxic effects on living cells but are usually non-genotoxic. In some cases, changes in intracellular redox potential and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by essential oils can be associated with their capacity to exert antigenotoxic effects. These findings suggest that, at least in part, the encountered beneficial effects of essential oils are due to prooxidant effects on the cellular level.
Similar articles
-
Essential oils loaded in nanosystems: a developing strategy for a successful therapeutic approach.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:651593. doi: 10.1155/2014/651593. Epub 2014 May 29. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014. Retraction in: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 Feb 15;2021:7259208. doi: 10.1155/2021/7259208. PMID: 24971152 Free PMC article. Retracted. Review.
-
Essential Oils: Extraction Techniques, Pharmaceutical And Therapeutic Potential - A Review.Curr Drug Metab. 2018;19(13):1100-1110. doi: 10.2174/1389200219666180723144850. Curr Drug Metab. 2018. PMID: 30039757 Review.
-
Anticancer activity of essential oils and their chemical components - a review.Am J Cancer Res. 2014 Nov 19;4(6):591-607. eCollection 2014. Am J Cancer Res. 2014. PMID: 25520854 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Extraction of Essential Oils from Medicinal Plants and their Utilization as Food Antioxidants.Curr Pharm Des. 2020;26(5):519-541. doi: 10.2174/1381612826666200121092018. Curr Pharm Des. 2020. PMID: 31965940 Review.
-
Trypanosoma brucei Inhibition by Essential Oils from Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Traditionally Used in Cameroon (Azadirachta indica, Aframomum melegueta, Aframomum daniellii, Clausena anisata, Dichrostachys cinerea and Echinops giganteus).Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Jul 6;14(7):737. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14070737. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017. PMID: 28684709 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
Oregano essential oil and Bacillus subtilis role in enhancing broiler's growth, stress indicators, intestinal integrity, and gene expression under high stocking density.Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 25;14(1):25411. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-75533-8. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 39455628 Free PMC article.
-
A Comprehensive Review of Moroccan Medicinal Plants for Diabetes Management.Diseases. 2024 Oct 9;12(10):246. doi: 10.3390/diseases12100246. Diseases. 2024. PMID: 39452489 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Hydrogel Containing Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum Essential-Oil-Loaded Polymeric Micelles for Enhanced Treatment of Melanoma.Gels. 2024 Sep 29;10(10):627. doi: 10.3390/gels10100627. Gels. 2024. PMID: 39451280 Free PMC article.
-
Beyond aromatherapy: can essential oil loaded nanocarriers revolutionize cancer treatment?Nanoscale Adv. 2024 Sep 27. doi: 10.1039/d4na00678j. Online ahead of print. Nanoscale Adv. 2024. PMID: 39415775 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The Influence of Solvent Choice on the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Asteraceae: A Comparative Review.Foods. 2024 Oct 2;13(19):3151. doi: 10.3390/foods13193151. Foods. 2024. PMID: 39410186 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources