Essential Oils’ Chemical Characterization and Investigation of Some Biological Activities: A Critical Review
Wissal Dhifi, Sana Bellili, Sabrine Jazi, Nada Bahloul, Wissem Mnif
Medicines
Abstract
This review covers literature data summarizing, on one hand, the chemistry of essential oils and, on the other hand, their most important activities. Essential oils, which are complex mixtures of volatile compounds particularly abundant in aromatic plants, are mainly composed of terpenes biogenerated by the mevalonate pathway. These volatile molecules include monoterpenes (hydrocarbon and oxygenated monoterpens), and also sesquiterpenes (hydrocarbon and oxygenated sesquiterpens). Furthermore, they contain phenolic compounds, which are derived via the shikimate pathway. Thanks to their chemical composition, essential oils possess numerous biological activities (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, etc…) of great interest in food and cosmetic industries, as well as in the human health field.
Extracted Claims
3 claims extracted from this paper into the knowledge graph
essential oils possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial activities
“Thanks to their chemical composition, essential oils possess numerous biological activities (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, etc…) of great interest in food and cosmetic industries, as ...”
essential oils contain phenolic compounds
“Furthermore, they contain phenolic compounds, which are derived via the shikimate pathway.”
essential oils are composed of terpenes
“Essential oils, which are complex mixtures of volatile compounds particularly abundant in aromatic plants, are mainly composed of terpenes biogenerated by the mevalonate pathway.”