scholarly journals Pharmacology of Natural Volatiles and Essential Oils in Food, Therapy, and Disease Prophylaxis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas John Sadgrove ◽  
Guillermo Federico Padilla-González ◽  
Olga Leuner ◽  
Ingrid Melnikovova ◽  
Eloy Fernandez-Cusimamani

This commentary critically examines the modern paradigm of natural volatiles in ‘medical aromatherapy’, first by explaining the semantics of natural volatiles in health, then by addressing chemophenetic challenges to authenticity or reproducibility, and finally by elaborating on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in food, therapy, and disease prophylaxis. Research over the last 50 years has generated substantial knowledge of the chemical diversity of volatiles, and their strengths and weaknesses as antimicrobial agents. However, due to modest in vitro outcomes, the emphasis has shifted toward the ability to synergise or potentiate non-volatile natural or pharmaceutical drugs, and to modulate gene expression by binding to the lipophilic domain of mammalian cell receptors. Because essential oils and natural volatiles are small and lipophilic, they demonstrate high skin penetrating abilities when suitably encapsulated, or if derived from a dietary item they bioaccumulate in fatty tissues in the body. In the skin or body, they may synergise or drive de novo therapeutic outcomes that range from anti-inflammatory effects through to insulin sensitisation, dermal rejuvenation, keratinocyte migration, upregulation of hair follicle bulb stem cells or complementation of anti-cancer therapies. Taking all this into consideration, volatile organic compounds should be examined as candidates for prophylaxis of cardiovascular disease. Considering the modern understanding of biology, the science of natural volatiles may need to be revisited in the context of health and nutrition.

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Horky ◽  
Sylvie Skalickova ◽  
Kristyna Smerkova ◽  
Jiri Skladanka

Essential oils (EOs) are now a hot topic in finding modern substitutes for antibiotics. Many studies have shown positive results and confirmed their high antibacterial activity both in vitro and in vivo. Deservedly, there is an attempt to use EOs as a substitute for antibiotics, which are currently limited by legislation in animal breeding. Given the potential of EOs, studies on their fate in the body need to be summarized. The content of EO’s active substances varies depending on growing conditions and consequently on processing and storage. Their content also changes dynamically during the passage through the gastrointestinal tract and their effective concentration can be noticeably diluted at their place of action (small intestine and colon). Based on the solubility of the individual EO’s active substances, they are eliminated from the body at different rates. Despite a strong antimicrobial effect, some oils can be toxic to the body and cause damage to the liver, kidneys, or gastrointestinal tissues. Reproductive toxicity has been reported for Origanum vulgare and Mentha arvensis. Several publications also address the effect on the genome. It has been observed that EOs can show both genoprotective effects (Syzygium aromaticum) and genotoxicity, as is the case of Cinnamomum camphor. This review shows that although oils are mainly studied as promising antimicrobials, it is also important to assess animal safety.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 344
Author(s):  
Gabriele Meroni ◽  
Elena Cardin ◽  
Charlotte Rendina ◽  
Valentina Rafaela Herrera Millar ◽  
Joel Fernando Soares Filipe ◽  
...  

Essential oils (EOs) and honeybee products (e.g., honey and propolis) are natural mixtures of different volatile compounds that are frequently used in traditional medicine and for pathogen eradication. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial properties of tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) EO (TTEO), Rosmarinus officinalis EO (ROEO), manuka-based gel, and propolis against 23 strains of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) isolated from canine pyoderma. Antimicrobial resistance screening was assessed using a panel of nine antimicrobial agents coupled with a PCR approach. An aromatogram was done for both EOs, using the disk diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for all the compounds. Among the 23 SP strains, 14 (60.9%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR), 11 strains (47.8%) were methicillin-resistant (MRSP), and 9 (39.1%) were non-MDR. The mean diameter of the inhibition zone for Melaleuca and Rosmarinus were 24.5 ± 8.8 mm and 15.2 ± 8.9 mm, respectively, resulting as statistically different (p = 0.0006). MIC values of TTEO and ROEO were similar (7.6 ± 3.2% and 8.9 ± 2.1%, respectively) and no statistical significances were found. Honeybee products showed lower MIC compared to those of EOs, 0.22 ± 0.1% for Manuka and 0.8 ± 0.5% for propolis. These findings reveal a significant antibacterial effect for all the tested products.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 7345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Zakaria Nassef ◽  
Daniela Melnik ◽  
Sascha Kopp ◽  
Jayashree Sahana ◽  
Manfred Infanger ◽  
...  

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in females. The incidence has risen dramatically during recent decades. Dismissed as an “unsolved problem of the last century”, breast cancer still represents a health burden with no effective solution identified so far. Microgravity (µg) research might be an unusual method to combat the disease, but cancer biologists decided to harness the power of µg as an exceptional method to increase efficacy and precision of future breast cancer therapies. Numerous studies have indicated that µg has a great impact on cancer cells; by influencing proliferation, survival, and migration, it shifts breast cancer cells toward a less aggressive phenotype. In addition, through the de novo generation of tumor spheroids, µg research provides a reliable in vitro 3D tumor model for preclinical cancer drug development and to study various processes of cancer progression. In summary, µg has become an important tool in understanding and influencing breast cancer biology.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1701200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hawraz Ibrahim M. Amin ◽  
Ahmed Anwar Amin ◽  
Solveig Tosi ◽  
Giorgio Giacomo Mellerio ◽  
Faiq H. S. Hussain ◽  
...  

Essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of different parts of Iris persica L. were investigated for the first time by GC-FID and GC-MS; moreover, their antifungal activities were determined. 34, 32, 27, and 17 compounds were identified in the oils from air-dried flowers, leaves, rhizomes and fresh bulbs, respectively, representing ≥ 98% each oil. The major constituents of the flower essential oil were phenylethanol (24.8%) and furfural (13.8%), which, as the main component, constituted also 39.0% and 22.2% of the leaf and rhizome volatile fractions, respectively. Phenylacetaldehyde (37.1%) was the main constituent of the bulb volatile fraction. In in vitro tests, moderate antifungal activity was detected for the oils against strains of the human pathogenic fungal species Candida albicans, Microsporum canis, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, the plant-fungal pathogen Pyricularia oryzae, and the fungal food contaminant Aspergillus carbonarius,. The highest activity was exhibited by the essential oils from leaves and flowers, suggesting that they could be considered natural antimicrobial agents.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 730
Author(s):  
Nicolás Gómez-Sequeda ◽  
Marlon Cáceres ◽  
Elena E. Stashenko ◽  
William Hidalgo ◽  
Claudia Ortiz

The emergence of multidrug resistant microorganisms represents a global challenge due to the lack of new effective antimicrobial agents. In this sense, essential oils (EOs) are an alternative to be considered because of their anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and antibiofilm biological activities. Therefore, multiple efforts have been made to consider the potential use of EOs in the treatment of infections which are caused by resistant microorganisms. In this study, 15 EOs of both Colombian and introduced aromatic plants were evaluated against pathogenic strains of E. coli O157:H7 and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in planktonic and sessile states in order to identify relevant and promising alternatives for the treatment of microbial infections. Forty different compounds were identified in the 15 EO with nine of them constituted mainly by oxygenated monoterpenes (OM). EOs from Lippia origanoides, chemotypes thymol, and carvacrol, displayed the highest antibacterial activity against E. coli O157:H7 (MIC50 = 0.9 and 0.3 mg/mL, respectively) and MRSA (MIC50 = 1.2 and 0.6 mg/mL, respectively). These compounds from EOs had also the highest antibiofilm activity (inhibition percentage > 70.3%). Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), changes in the size and morphology of both bacteria were observed when they were exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of L. origanoides EO carvacrol chemotype. EOs from L. origanoides, thymol, and carvacrol chemotypes represented a viable alternative for the treatment of microbial infections; however, the Selectivity Index (SI ≤ 3) indicated that it was necessary to study alternatives to reduce its in vitro cytotoxicity.


2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Witt ◽  
Nivedita Ramji ◽  
Roger Gibb ◽  
John Dunavent ◽  
Janine Flood ◽  
...  

Abstract Antimicrobial agents are commonly incorporated into hygiene products for the treatment and prevention of plaque and gingivitis. Recently, a new alcohol-free rinse containing 0.07% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) in a high bioavailable matrix (Crest® Pro-Health Rinse) was introduced to provide antiplaque and antigingivitis benefits. This paper reviews results from an in vitro pre-clinical study and an in vivo clinical study evaluating the antibacterial and antiplaque benefits of this CPC rinse technology. In the in vitro experiment, a no-alcohol 0.065% high bioavailable CPC prototype rinse was evaluated for its hostility against a broad range of microorganisms commonly associated with plaque and gingivitis. The rinse demonstrated greater than 99% germ kill for all organisms tested individually as well as in whole saliva. The benefit of this antibacterial action on plaque inhibition was assessed in a clinical trial. A double-blinded, 3-period, 6-sequence crossover study was conducted evaluating the antiplaque effect of the novel 0.07% high bioavailable, alcohol-free CPC rinse versus a positive control (Listerine® Cool Mint containing essential oils) and a negative control (placebo CPC rinse). A modification of the Addy 4-day plaque model was used for this evaluation. Plaque was measured at baseline (Day 1) of each treatment period and at Day 4 using the Turesky modification of Quigley-Hein index. During the treatment period, subjects brushed only their lingual surfaces twice daily for up to 60 seconds. Following brushing, subjects used 20 mls of the mouthrinse product for 30 seconds in the morning and evening. Fifty-five subjects completed the study. For non-brushed sites, both the essential oils and CPC rinse exhibited a 25% reduction in plaque vs. placebo after four days of product usage, which was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Both treatments also exhibited a statistically significant benefit versus placebo (p<0.0001) for brushed sites (>38% plaque reduction). These data support the antibacterial action of the high bioavailable, alcohol-free CPC rinse and demonstrate antiplaque effects for Crest Pro-Health Rinse that are “at least as good as” the leading essential oils antiseptic, making it well-suited for a broad range of patients, particularly those who are sensitive to products containing alcohol. Citation Witt J; Ramji N; Gibb R; Dunavent J; Flood J; Barnes J. Antibacterial and Antiplaque Effects of a Novel, Alcohol-Free Oral Rinse with Cetylpyridinium Chloride. J Contemp Dent Pract 2005 February; (6)1:001-009.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bathini Thissera ◽  
Hani A. Alhadrami ◽  
Marwa H. A. Hassan ◽  
Hossam M. Hassan ◽  
Fathy A. Behery ◽  
...  

Microbial co-culture or mixed fermentation proved to be an efficient strategy to expand chemical diversity by the induction of cryptic biosynthetic pathways, and in many cases led to the production of new antimicrobial agents. In the current study, we report a rare example of the induction of silent/cryptic bacterial biosynthetic pathway by the co-culture of Durum wheat plant roots-associated bacterium Pantoea aggolomerans and date palm leaves-derived fungus Penicillium citrinum. The initial co-culture indicated a clear fungal growth inhibition which was confirmed by the promising antifungal activity of the co-culture total extract against Pc. LC-HRMS chemical profiling demonstrated a huge suppression in the production of secondary metabolites (SMs) of axenic cultures of both species with the emergence of new metabolites which were dereplicated as a series of siderophores. Large-scale co-culture fermentation led to the isolation of two new pulicatin derivatives together with six known metabolites which were characterised using HRESIMS and NMR analyses. During the in vitro antimicrobial evaluation of the isolated compounds, pulicatin H (2) exhibited the strongest antifungal activity against Pc, followed by aeruginaldehyde (1) and pulicatin F (4), hence explaining the initial growth suppression of Pc in the co-culture environment.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veena Uniyal ◽  
R. P. Bhatt ◽  
Seema Saxena ◽  
Amitabh Talwar

Aspergillosis is an acute chronic and rapidly fatal disease which is not contagious. Invasive Aspergillosis is often found in severely immuno-suppressed patients, and is characterized by invasion of blood vessels which can result into dissemination to other organs. Aspergilloma is a fungal ball that develops in previous cavitary lung lesions. Essential oils and their volatile constituents have been used as antifungal, anti-infectious and antimicrobial agents. Inhalation of vapours of the essential oils kill invaders attached to the inner respiratory lining and worksynergistically with the body defences. In this study, 16 essential oils were used against Aspergillus niger and A. fumigatus of which about 14 oils proved to be effective. Results showed that the most effective oils against both Aspergillus species were found to be of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cinnamon), Syzygium aromaticum (Clove), Carum carvi (Caraway), Cymbopogon citrates (Lemongrass), Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel) and Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg). Moderately effective oils were of Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen), Pinus palustris (Turpentine), Sesamum indicum (Sesame), Trachyspermum ammi (Ajowain) and Origanum vulgare (Oregano). The oils of Lavandula augustifolia (Lavender), Elletaria cardamomum (Cardamon) and Cymbopogon nardus (Citronella) showed minimum activity. Azadirachta indica (Neem) and Linum usitatissimum (Linseed) showed no activity giving no inhibition zones.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Alper Çimik ◽  

Coriander, fennel, caraway and anise species which have major characteristic specialities of Apiaceae family, have antimicrobial activities on pathogene microorganisms. Probiotic microorganisms have fundamental effects on human body and extermination of probiotics causes many diseases. In this study, it was aimed to determine investigate probiotic resistance against natural antimicrobial agents (as essential oils) compare to pathogenes in previous studies. Analysis of essential oils (Eos) from were analyzed by GC-FID and GC/MS, analysis of Eos antimicrobial and antifungal activity from were analyzed by Microdilution test (as described in CLSI). Linalool (%74.927), (E)-anethole (%68.239), carvone (%61.087) and (E)-anethole (%95.577) were found as major compounds of EOs respectively. All essential oils have antimicrobial activities on probiotic microorganisms.


Author(s):  
Flávia Fernanda Alves da Silva ◽  
Cassia Cristina Fernandes ◽  
Gabriel Almeida de Oliveira ◽  
Ana Carolina Bolela Bovo Candido ◽  
Lizandra Guidi Magalhães ◽  
...  

In Brazilian folk medicine, Murraya paniculata has been used for treating intestine disorders, rheumatism and cough. This paper aims to investigate the in vitro antileishmanial and antioxidant activities of essential oils (EO) from M. paniculata leaves and fruits (ripe and unripe ones). Natural antioxidants may be very beneficial to improve quality of life, since they are capable of protecting the body against damage caused by free radicals and, consequently, either preventing or postponing many diseases from starting their cycles. One of the techniques which has been widely used for detecting antioxidant compounds is the method based on the elimination of the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•). It has been considered easy, precise, fast, simple, economical and appropriate to determine antioxidant activity of pure substances and complex mixtures, such as EO. Thus, antioxidant potential of EO was evaluated by using the method of the free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•). EO from M. paniculata leaves and fruits exhibited weak potential, since EC50 values were above 700 µg/mL. Several reports have stated that volatile oils from plants show promising leishmanicidal activity against promastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis; in relation to this activity, leaf oil was highly active (IC50 = 7.33±2.07 µg/mL) while ripe and unripe fruit oils were active, with values of IC50 = 30.77±2.07 µg/mL and 13.04±1.64 µg/mL, respectively. Both GC-FID and GC-MS analyses revealed that the major components determined in EO from M. paniculata were sesquithujene (25.0%), trans-β-caryophyllene (23.8%), α-zingiberene (21.0%), α-ylangene (13.3%), germacrene D (13.1%), α-copaene (12.7%), and β-cubebene (10.2%). In vitro antileishmanial and antioxidant activities of EO from M. paniculata have also been described for the first time.


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