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Review
. 2020 Dec 17;21(24):9653.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21249653.

A Recent Insight Regarding the Phytochemistry and Bioactivity of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil

Adelina Lombrea  1 , Diana Antal  2 , Florina Ardelean  2 , Stefana Avram  1   3 , Ioana Zinuca Pavel  1   3 , Lavinia Vlaia  4   5 , Ana-Maria Mut  4   5 , Zorita Diaconeasa  6 , Cristina Adriana Dehelean  3   7 , Codruta Soica  3   8 , Corina Danciu  1   3
Affiliations
Review

A Recent Insight Regarding the Phytochemistry and Bioactivity of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil

Adelina Lombrea et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Origanum vulgare L. is a widely used aromatic plant, especially due to its content in essential oil, mainly rich in carvacrol and thymol. The ethnopharmacological uses of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OEO) comprise digestive, respiratory, or dermatological disorders. The review focuses on the increasing number of recent studies investigating several biological activities of OEO. The bioactivities are in tight relation to the phytochemical profile of the essential oil, and also depend on taxonomic, climatic, and geographical characteristics of the plant material. The antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, skin disorders beneficial effects, next to antihyperglycemic and anti-Alzheimer activities were reported and confirmed in multiple studies. Moreover, recent studies indicate a positive impact on skin disorders of OEO formulated as nanocarrier systems in order to improve its bioavailability and, thus, enhancing its therapeutic benefits. The review brings an up to date regarding the phytochemistry and bioactivity of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil, underlining also the most successful pharmaceutical formulation used for skin disorders.

Keywords: Origanum vulgare L.; bioactivity; essential oil; pharmaceutical formulation; phytochemistry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Origanum vulgare. Left image: flowering plant. The highlighted portion of the leaf surface is detailed in the middle image (short red arrow). Middle: Tectory and glandular trichomes on the lower leaf surface. The highlighted portion represents a secretory trichome, enlarged in the right image (long red arrow). Right: Peltate secretory trichome containing essential oil.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of main constituents of Origanum vulgare essential oil: (1) Carvacrol, (2) Thymol, (3) Linalool, (4) γ-Terpinene, (5) p-Cymene, (6) β-Caryophyllene, (7) Germacrene D.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A snapshot of the bioactivity of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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