Cytotoxic, anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant properties of the most frequent plant volatiles

Abstract

Flowers, berries, leaves, barks and roots of different plants have been used through the ages as a source of flavor in food and perfume preparations. The volatiles responsible for the flavor of botanicals can be extracted from the plant material as "essential oils" (EOs), called also volatile oils or ethereal oils. The term essential is intended to indicate that the oil is the fragrant essence of the plant from which it is extracted. EOs are constituted by hydrocarbons (monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes) and oxygenated compounds (alcohols, esters, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, lactones, phenols and phenol ethers). Of the numerous groups of naturally occurring compounds examined so far terpenes are known as fragrances and flavoring agents. The data reported in this review including the data obtained in our laboratory show that many of EOs exhibit a range of biological activities inclusive of antioxidative, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic activities. Most of them belong to phytochemicals with chemopreventive potential. On the other hand some herbal products can cause serious adverse effects. A complex research of toxic, genotoxic, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic effects of EOs is therefore very important.

Genoprotective Effects of Essential Oil Compounds Against Oxidative and Methylated DNA Damage in Human Colon Cancer Cells

“…The antioxidative activity of eugenol, measured as DPPH radical-scavenging activity, and thymol, measured as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, was observed at as low concentration as 1 ppm (Slameňová et al, 2009) and 2.2 ppm (Ündeger et al, 2009), respectively. Further work confirmed the antioxidative effects of thymol and eugenol in assays demonstrating their reducing power and radical scavenging capacity, but only thymol was genoprotective against H 2 O 2induced oxidative DNA damage in colonocyte and hepatocyte cell lines (Horváthová et al, 2014;Slameňová & Horváthová, 2013). This is confirmed by our study where pre-exposure to thymol was genoprotective from 12.5 to 125 ppm.…”

Acorus gramineusand and Euodia ruticarpa Steam Distilled Essential Oils Exert Anti-Inflammatory Effects Through Decreasing Th1/Th2 and Pro-/Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Secretion Ratios In Vitro

“…These low molecular weight compounds are not practically soluble in water [35]. Monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, oxygenated monoterpenes, oxygenated sesquiterpenes, phenolics and others [17,36] are the major constituents that provide the characteristic aroma and biological properties to EOs. To avoid the toxic effects of residual organic solvents, relatively less toxic SDEOs such as AG and ER SDEO (Tables 3-5) are a new and potential therapy to regulate Th1/Th2 immune balance and inhibit an inflammatory response without compromising an immune defense.…”

“…Most EOs exude a special aroma that may be useful for aromatherapy. Increasingly more in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated EO bioactivities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects [15][16][17]. EOs plays multiple roles in immune-regulation, including immune activation, inhibition or regulation [18].…”

Anesthesia Implications of the Use of Essential Oils in Alzheimer's Dementia

“…Light Thai massage in 94 patient's, ages 30-70 with colorectal cancer, after 7-10 day course of chemotherapy that were enrolled in a one week RCT study with 0.5 ml of ginger essential oil in coconut oil had improved cellular immunity as measured by CD4/CD8 ratios and improved self-rated symptom severity scores [50]. These components of essential oils commonly occur in food as eucalyptol, eugenol, borneol, carvacrol and thymol have differing anti-oxidative, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties in the laboratory [51]. There is a role for natural phenolic compounds from essential oils, in particular eugenol, in cancer chemoprevention via the regulation of the cell cycle [52].…”