Bioactive Compounds In Essential Oil Research Articles

What routes makes Essential Oils effective in Aromatherapy? A current perspective study

Aromatherapy, the therapeutic application of essential oils extracted from plants, has emerged as a prominent practice in complementary and alternative medicine. Essential oils, renowned for their aromatic compounds, are utilized in a variety of therapeutic modalities to enhance physical, emotional, and mental health. Understanding the administration routes of essential oils is crucial for maximizing their therapeutic potential and ensuring safety. The method of administration—whether inhalation, topical application, or ingestion—significantly influences the absorption, distribution, and efficacy of the bioactive compounds in essential oils. For instance, inhalation directly interacts with the olfactory system, potentially impacting mood and stress levels, while topical application facilitates localized effects and transdermal absorption, providing targeted therapeutic benefits. Ingestion, though less common, requires careful consideration due to the potent nature and potential toxicity of essential oils. This paper emphasizes the importance of selecting the appropriate administration route based on desired outcomes and safety considerations. It also explores the concept of synergy, where the interaction of multiple essential oil constituents can enhance therapeutic effects, exemplified by the compounds in lavender and eucalyptus oils. This study highlights the challenges in aromatherapy research, including the need for standardization, quality assurance, and rigorous methodological approaches to validate the therapeutic efficacy of essential oils.

Identification of Anti-Neuroinflammatory Bioactive Compounds in Essential Oils and Aqueous Distillation Residues Obtained from Commercial Varieties of Cannabis sativa L.

Neuroinflammation, which is mainly triggered by microglia, is a key contributor to multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Natural products, and in particular Cannabis sativa L., due to its richness in phytochemical components, represent ideal candidates to counteract neuroinflammation. We previously characterized different C. sativa commercial varieties which showed significantly different chemical profiles. On these bases, the aim of this study was to evaluate essential oils and aqueous distillation residues from the inflorescences of three different hemp varieties for their anti-neuroinflammatory activity in BV-2 microglial cells. Cells were pretreated with aqueous residues or essential oils and then activated with LPS. Unlike essential oils, aqueous residues showed negligible effects in terms of anti-inflammatory activity. Among the essential oils, the one obtained from ‘Gorilla Glue’ was the most effective in inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators and in upregulating anti-inflammatory ones through the modulation of the p38 MAPK/NF-κB pathway. Moreover, the sesquiterpenes (E)-caryophyllene, α-humulene, and caryophyllene oxide were identified as the main contributors to the essential oils’ anti-inflammatory activity. To our knowledge, the anti-neuroinflammatory activity of α-humulene has not been previously described. In conclusion, our work shows that C. sativa essential oils characterized by high levels of sesquiterpenes can be promising candidates in the prevention/counteraction of neuroinflammation.

Determination of the Degree of Unsaturation in Essential Oils

Being widely used, medicinal products based on vegetable oils require strict regulation and evaluation of quality attributes, determination of shelf-life periods, and monitoring of storage conditions. The most common testing method for unsaturated compounds in vegetable oils is the iodine value determination, which has a range of limitations. An alternative method for determining the degree of unsaturation is based on epoxidation.The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility of determining the degree of unsaturation of terpenoids and essential oils using peroxycarboxylic acids.Materials and methods. The authors performed epoxidation of linalool, myrcene, and lemon oil with peroxydecanoic and peroxyoctanoic acids, followed by iodometric titration of the excess acid.Results. The study demonstrated the possibility of measuring the degree of unsaturation of the selected essential oil and terpenoids using peracid epoxidation. The authors developed a procedure for determining the iodine value of essential oils and calculated the iodine values of linalool, myrcene, and lemon oil. Epoxidation proceeded as a second-order reaction. The authors obtained the following reaction rate constants: 3.9 L×mol–1×min–1 for linalool (298 К), 1.76 L×mol–1×min–1 for myrcene converting to monoxide (298 К), 0.044 L×mol–1×min–1 for myrcene epoxide converting to diepoxide (298 К), and 3.9 L×mol–1×min–1 for lemon oil (297 К).Conclusions. The suggested procedure involving peracid titration for rapid and efficient determination of the degree of unsaturation (iodine value) provides a potential basis for developing a quantification method for total unsaturated bioactive compounds in essential oils.

Potential application of bioactive compounds in essential oils from selected Malaysian herbs and spices as antifungal agents in food systems

Essential oils have a long history in their variety of applications. Although essential oils of various herbs and spices from other parts of the world have shown antimicrobial effects, those from Malaysian herbs remain underreported. Thus, can be further utilized in the search for novel bioactive compounds as natural antimicrobials to fulfil the consumers' demand for safer, healthier, and higher‐quality foods with longer shelf life. In the present work, the essential oils from ten herbs and spices namely betel, cinnamon, clove, coriander, galangal, ginger, lemongrass, lime, nutmeg, and turmeric, selected based on their abundance and economic importance, were analysed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. A total of 120 bioactive compounds were detected. The major (>10%) bioactive compounds were anethole, 26.25% (betel), cinnamaldehyde, 63.39% (cinnamon), eugenol, 87.16% (clove), linalool, 54.79% (coriander), propenoic acid, 29.56% (galangal), α-zingiberene, 26.32% (ginger), geranial, 42.61% (lemongrass), limonene, 39.84% (lime), β-phellandrene, 27.80% (nutmeg), and ar-turmerone, 41.81% (turmeric). All essential oils also yielded minor (<10%) bioactive compounds of different classes. Some of these major and minor bioactive compounds have been reported to exert fungicidal/fungistatic effects and could be an excellent candidate in the development of efficient fungal spoilage control strategies such as an active food packaging system.

Evaluation of the chemical components and some bioactive compounds of the peppermint essential oil (Mentha arvensis L.) cultivated in Vietnam

Vietnam has diverse plant resources and many species are considered to be valuable medicinal sources. Studying, seeking, and evaluating the bioactive compounds from plants is a valuable research endeavor for producing human healthcare products. Peppermint (Mentha arvensisL.) is widely cultivated in Vietnam as a raw material for the production of essential oils serving local needs and exports. This study compared the chemical components and some bioactive compounds in essential oil from Mentha arvensisL. cultivated in Thai Binh, Binh Thuan, and An Giang provinces. The essential oil yields in all samples ranged from 0.69 to 0.84%. Gas chromatography analyses identified 29 substances in total. Menthol and menthone were the two main ingredients in the oils, accounting for 53.62-62.61% and 18.81-21.06%, respectively. Furthermore, all essential oils exhibited free radical scavenging capacity in vitroand antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli. The plants collected in Thai Binh had the highest content of essential oil, menthol, and menthone, as well as the strongest bioactivities.

Analyzing Bioactive Compounds in Essential Oil of Citrus maxima and Citrus sinensis Peel

Citrus peels are a rich source of nutrients, essential oil, and phenolic acid compounds. As they are produced in large amounts during fruit processing, these residues can be used as a potential nutraceutical resource instead of disposal as the wastes in the environment. Regarding the beneficial uses of citrus peels, essential oil composition taken from peels of Citrus maxima and Citrus sinensis cultivated in Iran were identified. 29 and 23 compounds were detected in essential oils of C. maxima and C. sinensis, respectively. The most represented compound in both plants was limonene, with 95.43 % for C. maxima and 76.9 % for C. sinensis. Other predominant compounds detected in C. sinensis peel volatile oil were linalool (9.4 %), myrcene (3.5 %), α- pinene (1.2 %), n-octanal (1.1 %), and α-terpineol (1.2 %).

Fabrication of Oregano-Olive Oil Loaded PVA/Chitosan Nanoparticles via Electrospraying Method

ABSTRACT Recently, a large number of studies on new methods has\\been carried out to increase the antimicrobial activity of bioactive compounds in essential oils. One of the most effective ways is to encapsulate them within some polymer matrix for preservation and extending their bioactive properties. This study appears to be the first attempt to fabricate oregano-olive oil-loaded nanoparticles for increasing bioactive properties. In this study, mixtures of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan were electrosprayed to obtain polymeric nanoparticles in which a mixture of oregano-olive oil was encapsulated. The electrospraying parameters were optimized under static conditions. The fabricated nanoparticles were characterized in terms of their molecular, thermal, and bioactive properties. Antifungal activity of the nanoparticles was tested against some fungal pathogens; Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium chrysogenum. Antioxidant activity of the olive oil, oregano essential oil, and oil-loaded nanoparticles was determined according to 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. The results of this study indicated that oil-loaded nanoparticles have a potential to be used as an antimicrobial agent in food preservation applications.

Short Communication: Detection of bioactive compounds in essential oil from lemongrass cultivated in Ngantang, Malang, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Hartatie ES, Prihartini I, Widodo W, Wahyudi A. 2020. Short Communication: Detection of bioactive compounds in essential oil from lemongrass cultivated in Ngantang, Malang, East Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 2821-2825. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) commonly known as West Indian lemongrass is a member of the Poaceae family and belongs to genus Cymbopogon. It is one of the plants commonly used in fresh form as a spice by the people in Indonesia and widely planted in the yard of the house. Lemongrass contains several bioactive compounds and it might be extracted to obtain essential oils useful for many applications such as flavor and fragrance ingredients, perfumery, cosmetics, food preservation, pharmaceutical. The chemical composition of essentials oil can be variable, according to the genetic diversity, habitat, weather, and cultural treatment. The aim of study was to investigate the bioactive compounds in essential oil from lemongrass stalk and lemongrass leaves which cultivated in Ngantang, Malang, East Java, Indonesia. Detection of bioactive compounds was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results of study are the main compound in lemongrass essential oil was citral. There is a difference between the citral content of essential oils from lemongrass stalk compared to essential oils from lemongrass leaves, both in quantity and components. The citral (geranial and neral) content of essential oil made from stalk was higher than made from leaves, but the amount of bioactive compounds of essential oils from leaves more than from the stalk.

Meta-analysis of the effects of essential oils on ruminal fermentation and performance of sheep

• The covariates essential oils (EO) supplementation period and amount of EO in the diet, were the major variables impacting the response of sheep to EO supplementation. • EO supplementation reduced the count of ruminal protozoa by 16%. • Slaughter weight reduced with EO inclusion to the diets in amounts greater than 200 mg/kg of dry matter. • Inclusion of EO to the diets in amounts greater than 100 mg/kg of dry mater reduced the average daily gain. This study was carried to evaluate the effects of essential oils (EO) supplementation to sheep diets on their performance and ruminal fermentation characteristics through meta-analysis. Twenty-one peer-reviewed publications with 50 treatment means were included in the data set. The effects of EO as an additive in sheep diets were evaluated using random-effect models to examine the raw mean difference (RMD) between EO treatment (diets with EO inclusion as an additive) and control treatment (diets with no additives). Heterogeneity was explored by meta-regression and subgroup analysis performed for: animal age; EO supplementation period, experimental design; EO extraction methods; amount of EO and primary bioactive compound in EO. The major bioactive compounds in EO were: carnosic acid (25.71%), carvacrol (22.86%) and thymol (11.42%). Essential oils supplementation reduced average daily gain (RMD = -0.01 kg/day; P < .0001), slaughter weight (RMD = -0.77 kg; P = 0.02) and hot carcass weight (RMD = -0.56 kg; P = 0.01). Similarly, crude protein digestibility, rumen protozoa population and acetate concentration were depressed in animals receiving EO supplementation. Improvements on neutral detergent fiber digestibility and rumen concentration of propionate and butyrate were reported with EO supplementation. Among the covariates, inclusion levels of EO greater than 100 mg/kg of DM reduced average daily gain, whereas, inclusion levels greater than 200 mg/kg of DM, negatively impacted slaughter weight. The best results regarding rumen propionate and NH 3 -N concentrations were reported when EO were fed for less than 30 days, suggesting that an adaptation to the antimicrobial activity of essential oils may occur with time. The results reported in our meta-analysis demonstrate no effectiveness of EO in improving sheep performance.

Iron-urea nano-complex improves bioactive compounds in essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L.

This study was conducted to evaluate the influences of [Fe-urea] nano-complex on phytochemical compounds, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial potential of the essential oil of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Three different levels (0, 0.1 and 0.2 %) of Fe-EDDHA, urea, and Fe-urea nano-complex were sprayed at 1) four leaved stage and 2) previous the flowering inception of sweet basil seedlings. The highest amount of the major compounds in the essential oil, epi-α-cadinol (27.09 ± 2.5 %) and trans-α-bergamotene (14.93 ± 1.77 %), were achieved by the application of 0.2 % n[Fe-urea]. Application of 0.2 % n[Fe-urea] in comparison with control treatment decreased the n-Decane quantity significantly (by 99.1 %). Amongst the flavonoids and phenolic compounds, rosmarinic acid was the prevailing compounds in basil’s essential oils. The highest amount of rosmarinic acid (5.81 ± 0.18 mg g−1) was found in 0.2 % [Fe-urea] nano-complex treatment. The highest antioxidant activity (21.98 ± 1.3 mg AAE g−1) was found in n[Fe-urea] treated plants. Also, The lowest minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Aspergillus niger, and Candida albicans were 0.042 ± 0.008, 0.016 ± 0.003, 0.238 ± 0.024, 0.166 ± 0.025, 0.101 ± 0.021 and 0.129 ± 0.011 mg mL-1 of essential oil derived from treated basils with 0.2 % n[Fe-urea] foliar spraying, respectively. The results revealed that nanoparticles can provide new prospects in medicinal plant production and the improvement of pharmaceutical properties of medicinal plants.

Major Bioactive Compounds in Essential Oils Extracted From the Rhizomes of Zingiber zerumbet (L) Smith: A Mini-Review on the Anti-allergic and Immunomodulatory Properties.

Zingiber zerumbet (L) Smith is part of the Zingiberaceae family, one of the largest families of the plant kingdom. Z. zerumbet is a perennial, aromatic and tuberose plant that grows in humid locations where its center of distribution is located in the South-East Asia region. This plant has been traditionally used in foods and beverages and for ornamental purposes. Although many studies have reported on the biomedical applications of Z. zerumbet, the anti-allergic effects of Z. zerumbet and its major bioactive compounds have not yet been summarized in detail. Many major metabolites that have been reported to contain anti-allergic properties are terpene compounds which can be found in the essential oil extracted from the rhizomes of Z. zerumbet, such as zerumbone, limonene, and humulene. The rhizome is among the part of Z. zerumbet that has been widely used for many studies due to its exceptional biomedical applications. Most of these studies have shown that the essential oil, which can be obtained through hydro-distillation of the rhizomes from Z. zerumbet, is enriched with various active metabolites. Therefore, this mini-review provides an overview of the main aspects related to the anti-allergic and immunomodulatory properties of the major bioactive compounds found in the essential oils extracted from the rhizomes of Z. zerumbet, with the aim of demonstrating the importance of essential oil extracted from the rhizomes of Z. zerumbet and its bioactive compounds in the treatment of allergy and allergy-related diseases, in addition to other widely reported and extensively studied biomedical applications.

Chemical composition and anti-microbial activities of the essential oil of Adansonia digitata stem-bark and leaf on post-harvest control of tomato spoilage

The mirage of bioactive compounds in essential oil (EO) has raised its prospects as an alternative to synthetic chemicals preservatives. The yields of the hydro-distilled EO from the leaf and stem-bark of Adansonia digitata were: 0.302% and 0.403%; while identified compounds were: 23 and 40 respectively. The principal chemical constituents of the EO were: hydrocarbons, alkene alcohol, cyclic ketonic ether, terpenoids, amides, esters. Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol (26.31%), 8-dimethyl-2-(1-methylethenyl) (8.20%), Tetracosan (6.54%), Heptacosane (5.81%) and Tetratetracontane (5.59%) were dominant compounds in the leaves EO. While, the major compounds of the stem-bark EO were: Octadecane (9.30%), Cyclopentane (8.81%), 1-Octadecanesulphonyl chloride (8.73%), Heptadecane (8.50%), Eicosane (8.34%), and Tetracosan (7.12%). The antimicrobial activity of the EO against post-harvest decay of tomato fruits stored at room temperature (27±2 °C) indicated significant (P < 0.05) reduction of bacterial and fungal loads at 2000 ppm when compared with control. The lethality assay of leaf and stem-bark EOs showed significant toxicity against brine shrimps, with LC50 values of 1750 μg/ml and 1932 μg/ml respectively. These values were greater than 1000 μg/mL as recommended index for non-toxicity in human. Thus, the study suggested application of the EO as possible antimicrobial agent as possible alternative to synthetic chemicals for the preservation of fresh tomato fruits.

Exploring of bioactive compounds in essential oil acquired from the stem and root derivatives of Hypericum triquetrifolium callus cultures

The chemical profile of the essential oil of callus and cell suspension cultures derivatives from stem and root of Hypericum triquetrifolium were explored by ITEX/GC-MS. The major constituents for stem derivatives were undecane (78.44%) and 2,4,6-trimethyl-octane (9.74%) for fresh calli, 2,4-dimethyl-benzaldehyde (46.94%), 2,3-dimethyl-undecane (28.39%), 2,4-dimethyl-1-hexene (10.17%), 1,2-oxolinalool (3.64%) and limonene (3.55%) for dry calli and undecane (61.24%), octane, 2,4,6-trimethyl- (16.73%), nonane, 3-methyl-(3.74%), 2,5-diphenyl-benzoquinone (3.70%) and limonene (3.60%) for cell suspension. However, for root derivatives, the dominated components were: undecane (49.94%), eucalyptol (12.07%), limonene (9.98%), toluene (9.03%) and 3-methyl-nonane (4.29%) for fresh calli, 2,4-dimethyl-benzaldehyde (29.80%), 1,1-dimethylethyl-cyclohexane (14.99%), 3-methyl-pentanal (14.99%), undecane (10.04%), beta-terpinyl acetate (8.60%), 1,2-oxolinalool (6.27%) and 2-pentyl-furan (4.09%) for dry calli, undecane (52.38%), 2,4,6-trimethyl-octane (13.81%), 3-methyl-nonane (5.73%), toluene (4.82%) and limonene (4.57%) for cell suspension derivative in root. The attained outcomes indicated that the alkane, aldehyde and monoterpene fractions dominated the chemical composition of essential oils.

Needle Trap Device as a New Sampling and Preconcentration Approach for Volatile Organic Compounds of Herbal Medicines and its Application to the Analysis of Volatile Components inViola tianschanica

The needle trap device (NTD) technique is a new microextraction method for sampling and preconcentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Previous NTD studies predominantly focused on analysis of environmental volatile compounds in the gaseous and liquid phases. Little work has been done on its potential application in biological samples and no work has been reported on analysis of bioactive compounds in essential oils from herbal medicines. The main purpose of the present study is to develop a NTD sampling method for profiling VOCs in biological samples using herbal medicines as a case study. A combined method of NTD sample preparation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed for qualitative analysis of VOCs in Viola tianschanica. A 22-gauge stainless steel, triple-bed needle packed with Tenax, Carbopack X and Carboxen 1000 sorbents was used for analysis of VOCs in the herb. Furthermore, different parameters affecting the extraction efficiency and capacity were studied. The peak capacity obtained by NTDs was 104, more efficient than those of the static headspace (46) and hydrodistillation (93). This NTD method shows potential to trap a wide range of VOCs including the lower and higher volatile components, while the static headspace and hydrodistillation only detects lower volatile components, and semi-volatile and higher volatile components, respectively. The developed NTD sample preparation method is a more rapid, simpler, convenient, and sensitive extraction/desorption technique for analysis of VOCs in herbal medicines than the conventional methods such as static headspace and hydrodistillation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.