Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Apr 27;12(5):824.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12050824.

Carvacrol-A Natural Phenolic Compound with Antimicrobial Properties

Wanda Mączka  1 , Martyna Twardawska  1 , Małgorzata Grabarczyk  1 , Katarzyna Wińska  1
Affiliations
Review

Carvacrol-A Natural Phenolic Compound with Antimicrobial Properties

Wanda Mączka et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to present the latest research related to selected biological properties of carvacrol, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity. As a monoterpenoid phenol, carvacrol is a component of many essential oils and is usually found in plants together with its isomer, thymol. Carvacrol, either alone or in combination with other compounds, has a strong antimicrobial effect on many different strains of bacteria and fungi that are dangerous to humans or can cause significant losses in the economy. Carvacrol also exerts strong anti-inflammatory properties by preventing the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by inducing SOD, GPx, GR, and CAT, as well as reducing the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body. It also affects the body's immune response generated by LPS. Carvacrol is considered a safe compound despite the limited amount of data on its metabolism in humans. This review also discusses the biotransformations of carvacrol, because the knowledge of the possible degradation pathways of this compound may help to minimize the risk of environmental contamination with phenolic compounds.

Keywords: antimicrobial; biotransformation; carvacrol.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The broad spectrum of carvacrol activity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Metabolism and urinary excretion in rats.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Biotransformation of carvacrol in plant culture.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Yadav G., Kamble S.B. Synthesis of carvacrol by Friedel–Crafts alkylation of o-cresol with isopropanol using superacidic catalyst UDCaT-5. J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 2009;84:1499–1508. doi: 10.1002/jctb.2210. - DOI
    1. Marinelli L., di Stefano A., Cacciatore I. Carvacrol and its derivatives as antibacterial agents. Phytochem. Rev. 2018;17:903–921. doi: 10.1007/s11101-018-9569-x. - DOI
    1. Gholami-Ahangaran M., Ahmadi-Dastgerdi A., Azizi S., Basiratpour A., Zokaei M., Derakhshan M. Thymol and carvacrol supplementation in poultry health and performance. Vet. Med. Sci. 2022;8:267–288. doi: 10.1002/vms3.663. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hao Y., Guo X., Yang R., Yan Y., Sun M., Li H., Bai H., Cui H., Li J., Shi L. Unraveling the Biosynthesis of Carvacrol in Different Tissues of Origanum vulgare. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022;23:13231. doi: 10.3390/ijms232113231. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Friedman M. Chemistry and multibeneficial bioactivities of carvacrol (4-isopropyl-2-methylphenol), a component of essential oils produced by aromatic plants and spices. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2014;62:7652–7670. doi: 10.1021/jf5023862. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources