Pharmacological Properties and Health Benefits of Eugenol: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

The biologically active phytochemicals are sourced from edible and medicinally important plants and are important molecules being used for the formulation of thousands of drugs. These phytochemicals have great benefits against many ailments particularly the inflammatory diseases or oxidative stress-mediated chronic diseases. Eugenol (EUG) is a versatile naturally occurring molecule as phenolic monoterpenoid and frequently found in essential oils in a wide range of plant species. EUG bears huge industrial applications particularly in pharmaceutics, dentistry, flavoring of foods, agriculture, and cosmeceutics. It is being focused recently due to its great potential in preventing several chronic conditions. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared EUG as a nonmutant and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) molecule. The available literature about pharmacological activities of EUG shows remarkable anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, and antimicrobial properties and has a significant effect on human health. The current manuscript summarizes the pharmacological characteristics of EUG and its potential health benefits.

Anticancer Properties of Eugenol: A Review

“…Eugenol has exhibited anticancer properties against several cancer types, such as leukemia, lung cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, skin cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ] ( Table 1 ). Yoo et al assessed eugenol’s efficacy against human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60).…”

“…Therefore, eugenol has been generally investigated for its varied properties like anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects [ 22 , 23 ]. Moreover, it is presently recognized for its actions against several human cancer types, whereas it has insignificant toxicity towards normal cells.…”

“…Moreover, it is presently recognized for its actions against several human cancer types, whereas it has insignificant toxicity towards normal cells. Several studies have displayed diverse molecular pathways for varied curative mechanisms of eugenol in the treatment of various cancer types [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Anticancer effects of eugenol are accomplished by various mechanisms like apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and metastasis on several cancer cell lines [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”

Wheat Germ Spermidine and Clove Eugenol in Combination Stimulate Autophagy In Vitro Showing Potential in Supporting the Immune System against Viral Infections

“…These individuals include the elderly and those with well-known comorbidities related to systemic inflammation, such as obesity, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and asthma [ 28 ]. EUG has long been of interest as an anti-viral compound, effective at inhibiting the replication process of a numerous viruses [ 29 , 30 ] and of recent potential interest in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 [ 31 ].…”

The protective effect and potential mechanisms of eugenol against Salmonella in vivo and in vitro

“…Eugenol (C 10 H 12 O 2 ; 2-methoxy-4-2-propenyl), the principal active ingredient in clove oil, is well-known for its antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antineoplastic properties ( Cui et al., 2019 ; Garabadu and Sharma, 2019 ; Oroojan, 2020 ; Sakat et al., 2019 ; Tandel et al., 2021 ). In light of that eugenol has acquired a “Generally Recognized as Safe” status from the US Food and Drug Administration, it has extensive applications in pharmaceutical application, health care and cosmetology ( Nisar et al., 2021 ). Indeed, eugenol not only possesses antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus.…”