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Review
. 2023 Jul 18;13(7):1144.
doi: 10.3390/biom13071144.

Essential Oils: Chemistry and Pharmacological Activities

Damião P de Sousa  1 , Renan Oliveira S Damasceno  2 , Riccardo Amorati  3 , Hatem A Elshabrawy  4 , Ricardo D de Castro  5 , Daniel P Bezerra  6 , Vitória Regina V Nunes  1 , Rebeca C Gomes  1 , Tamires C Lima  7
Affiliations
Review

Essential Oils: Chemistry and Pharmacological Activities

Damião P de Sousa et al. Biomolecules. .

Abstract

In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the main mechanisms of pharmacological action of essential oils and their components in various biological systems. A brief introduction on essential oil chemistry is presented to better understand the relationship of chemical aspects with the bioactivity of these products. Next, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities are discussed. The mechanisms of action against various types of viruses are also addressed. The data show that the multiplicity of pharmacological properties of essential oils occurs due to the chemical diversity in their composition and their ability to interfere with biological processes at cellular and multicellular levels via interaction with various biological targets. Therefore, these natural products can be a promising source for the development of new drugs.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory; antibacterial; anticancer; antifungal; antioxidant; antiviral; medicinal plants; metabolites; natural products; volatiles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
General scheme for the biosynthesis of terpenoids.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of monoterpenes found in essential oils.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structures of sesquiterpenes found in essential oils.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical structures of phenylpropanoids found in essential oils.
Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Chemical mechanism explaining the ability of essential oil components to retard the peroxidation of organic compounds (RH). The two-faced reducing and oxidizing hydroperoxyl radical is evidenced in blue.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Rate of O2 uptake during the autoxidation of cumene (3.5 M) in chlorobenzene initiated by AIBN (0.05 M) at 30 °C as a function of the concentration of limonene. The concentration of limonene (in M and %, v/v) affording the strongest inhibition is indicated by the grey dots. Reprinted from Reference [48] with permission from Elsevier.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Essential oils and their main constituents modulate inflammation by reduction of inflammatory signaling pathways, activation of sensory receptors, maintenance of the epithelial barrier, and regulation of the microbiota. Note: EO = Essential oil.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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