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Review
. 2023 Apr 8;24(8):6936.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24086936.

Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Properties of Thyme Oil and Its Main Constituents

Evros Vassiliou  1 , Oreoluwa Awoleye  1 , Amanda Davis  1 , Sasmita Mishra  1
Affiliations
Review

Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Properties of Thyme Oil and Its Main Constituents

Evros Vassiliou et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Thyme oil (TO) is derived from the flowers of various plants belonging to the genus Thymus. It has been used as a therapeutic agent since ancient times. Thymus comprises numerous molecular species exhibiting diverse therapeutic properties that are dependent on their biologically active concentrations in the extracted oil. It is therefore not surprising that oils extracted from different thyme plants present different therapeutic properties. Furthermore, the phenophase of the same plant species has been shown to yield different anti-inflammatory properties. Given the proven efficacy of TO and the diversity of its constituents, a better understanding of the interactions of the various components is warranted. The aim of this review is to gather the latest research findings regarding TO and its components with respect to their immunomodulatory properties. An optimization of the various components has the potential to yield more effective thyme formulations with increased potency.

Keywords: cancer; carvacrol; inflammation; linalool; p-cymene; thyme oil; thymol; γ-terpinene.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, and linalool.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A simplified schematic depiction of the anti-inflammatory pathways utilized by thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, and linalool.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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