Pharmaceutical Application of Essential Oils

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 July 2025 | Viewed by 1430

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Diagnostic Immunology, Chair of Microbiology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: essential oils; essential oil compounds; Staphylococcus aureus; antibiotics; antibacterial activity; immunology of infectious diseases
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Through the ages, essential oils have evoked interest as sources of natural products. They have been screened for their potential uses as alternative remedies for the treatment of many infectious diseases. Many plants contain an extensive variety of phytochemical compounds with antibacterial/antifungal activity. The worldwide increase in resistance to antibiotics/antifungals among bacteria/fungi explains the necessity to search for new treatment options, such as the application of essential oils that express good antimicrobial properties. However, this unconventional therapy must be preceded by numerous cytotoxicity tests, especially for the selection of an appropriate, safe concentration of the essential oil dose and time exposure studies. This Special Issue seeks manuscript submissions that further our understanding of the pharmaceutical and therapeutic potential of essential oils.

Dr. Paweł Kwiatkowski
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • essential oils
  • bacteria
  • fungi
  • alternative therapy
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • mechanism of action

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 1821 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition and Assessment of the Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, Cytotoxic and Skin Enzyme Inhibitory Activities of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck Essential Oil and Its Major Compound Limonene
by Naoufal El Hachlafi, Amine Elbouzidi, Amine Batbat, Mohamed Taibi, Mohamed Jeddi, Mohamed Addi, Hanae Naceiri Mrabti and Kawtar Fikri-Benbrahim
Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(12), 1652; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17121652 - 8 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1063
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Essential oils (EOs) from Citrus species have attracted attention for their diverse properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytotoxic effects, which address critical health challenges such as chronic diseases and skin disorders. Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck, which is a widely cultivated citrus fruit, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Essential oils (EOs) from Citrus species have attracted attention for their diverse properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytotoxic effects, which address critical health challenges such as chronic diseases and skin disorders. Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck, which is a widely cultivated citrus fruit, is attracting increasing attention in the field of medicinal research due to its richness of limonene (comprising approximately 85–90% of the oil). This study investigates the chemical profile of CS-EO and biological activities of CS-EO and limonene. Methods and Results: This study used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), confirming limonene as the predominant compound (70.15%) along with other minor constituents, including thujene (10.52%), myrcene (5.54%) and α-pinene (2.81%). The biological activities of CS-EO and limonene were examined, specifically focusing on their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity and dermatoprotective effects. Antioxidant potential was evaluated using DPPH, FRAP and beta-carotene assays, with CS-EO and limonene exhibiting comparable efficacy. Anti-inflammatory properties were assessed via inhibition assays of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and nitric oxide (NO) production, showing significant reductions in LPS-stimulated macrophages treated by CS-EO or limonene. Cytotoxicity testing on various cell lines indicated selective activity of the tested compounds, with low toxicity observed on human skin fibroblasts. Limonene and CS-EO were highly effective on HepG2 cellules, with IC50 values of 0.55 ± 0.01 µg/mL and 15.97 ± 1.20 µg/mL, respectively. Dermatoprotective effects were further confirmed using enzymes, where CS-EO and limonene showed remarkable inhibitory potential against elastase (IC50 of 65.72 ± 1.92 and 86.07 ± 1.53 µg/mL, respectively) and tyrosinase (IC50 of 102 ± 2.16 and 78.34 ± 1.15 µg/mL, respectively) enzymes compared to quercetin used as a standard (IC50 of 111.03 ± 0.1 and 124.22 ± 0.07 µg/mL, respectively). Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest the potential for the development of new therapeutic approaches based on CS-EO, which could be applicable in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical fields and have protective benefits for skin health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmaceutical Application of Essential Oils)
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