Rose geranium essential oil as a source of new and safe anti-inflammatory drugs

Abstract

BackgroundSince the available anti-inflammatory drugs exert an extensive variety of side effects, the search for new anti-inflammatory agents has been a priority of pharmaceutical industries.AimsThe aim of the present study was to assess the anti-inflammatory activities of the essential oil of rose geranium (RGEO).MethodsThe chemical composition of the RGEO was investigated by gas chromatography. The major components were citronellol (29.13%), geraniol (12.62%), and citronellyl formate (8.06%). In the carrageenan-induced paw edema, five different groups were established and RGEO was administered orally in three different doses.ResultsRGEO (100 mg/kg) was able to significantly reduce the paw edema with a comparable effect to that observed with diclofenac, the positive control. In addition, RGEO showed a potent anti-inflammatory activity by topical treatment in the method of croton oil-induced ear edema. When the dose was 5 or 10 µl of RGEO per ear, the inflammation was reduced by 73 and 88%, respectively. This is the first report to demonstrate a significant anti-inflammatory activity of Algerian RGEO. In addition, histological analysis confirmed that RGEO inhibited the inflammatory responses in the skin.ConclusionOur results indicate that RGEO may have significant potential for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs with improved safety profile.

Lemon grass ( Cymbopogon citratus ) essential oil as a potent anti-inflammatory and antifungal drugs

“…Also, our results are in agreement with a study by Boukhatem et al (21), whose histological analysis revealed that rose-scented geranium oil inhibited the skin inflammatory process in vivo .…”

Development of Nanoemulsion Containing Pelargonium Graveolens Oil: Characterization and Stability Study

“…However, our results diverge from those published by other studies in which the concentration of geraniol (23-38%) was higher than that of citronellol (21-28%) [15,16]. The chemical composition of geranium oil will depend on a number of factors, including differences in climatic conditions and geographical locations, season at the time of collection, and fertilization [17].…”

Geraniol produces antidepressant-like effects in a chronic unpredictable mild stress mice model

“…According to the Sonali Sinha and colleagues' study [43], GE is considered safe for human consumption at low concentrations. In Mohamed Nadjib Boukhatem and colleagues' study [44], essential oil of rose geranium (RGEO), whose major components were citronellol (29.13%), GE (12.62%), and citronellyl formate (8.06%), was administered orally in three different doses to mice, 10, 100, or 1,000 mg/kg and the results indicated that RGEO might have significant potential for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs with improved safety profile. Muthukumaran and colleagues' study [45] showed that A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 15 chronically treatment with GE (100 mg/kg) for 12 weeks on animals did not significantly activate the key inflammatory cytokine, NF-κB in liver, heart and aorta tissues.…”